


Danganronpa: Killing Paradise

by UltimateGaymer



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Talentswap (Dangan Ronpa), Bisexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Gay Character, I cannot guarentee your fave will live, Is it real fiction or in the Hope’s Peak timeline? That’s for me to know and you to find out, Kaede will stay the protag guys don’t worry, Lesbian Character, M/M, Murder Mystery, Trans Character, Ultimate ??? Kaede
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-08 17:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 57,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13463025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UltimateGaymer/pseuds/UltimateGaymer
Summary: Kaede Akamatsu wakes up in a bizzare school with no memory of anything other than her name. She's quickly thrown into a killing game with 15 other Ultimate Students- a deadly game of death and betrayal, where the person she can the trust the least appears to be herself...





	1. Day I: Awake

Kaede Akamatsu woke up to darkness.

The young girl froze as she abruptly came into consciousness within an extremely cramped space, four walls constricting her movements hugely. The front wall had three horizontal slots, through which some light was shining onto her face.

 _'Those lights being turned on must have woken me up'_ She quickly deduced, before frowning. Kaede took stock of a few facts. First of all, her name was Kaede Akamatsu. Secondly, she was remarkably calm about this situation. And thirdly...

She had no idea who or where she was.

Fumbling slightly in the darkness, she maneuvered a hand from where it had been pressed uncomfortably against her side, feeling the wall in front of her for some kind of handle or switch. Sure enough, her fingers grasped at a latch, and before she knew it the wall- which was of course actually a door- swung open. The sudden lack of resistance made her fall rather unceremoniously onto the ground.

“Ow...” She whined, rubbing at her head from where she had hit it. “That's gonna leave a bump...not a great start to your first day of memory, me.” She quickly scrabbled to her feet, and took stock of her surroundings.

She was in a classroom. And although Kaede had never stepped inside a classroom before to her knowledge, this was definitely an unusual one. The only features by which she recognized it as such where the rows of desks, a larger desk for the teacher at the front of the room, and a blackboard. The discrepancies started to show up with the blackboard, which was in fact an extremely wide computer monitor embedded into the wall, though Kaede couldn't see a corresponding terminal. There was also a security camera in one corner of the room.

The floor was smooth and tiled, and a dull grey. The walls were grey too, and the windows to her right were blocked off with some kind of shutter. Kaede walked over and pulled at them experimentally, but they did not budge an inch. She couldn't see any kind of mechanism for them either. 

The only source of light in the room was the harsh fluorescent lamps mounted into the ceiling, which stung her eyes quite a bit. Squinting, she turned about-face so that the windows were on her left and the doorway leading out of the room to her right. The small space she had exited was a locker, and another one sat next to it, still closed. She reached forward and shut the door of the one she had emerged from, and was surprised to see her own face staring back at her: there was a small mirror on the door of the locker, just above the horizontal gaps.

Kaede had been so busy investigating the room, she hadn't really thought much to investigate herself. She was pretty, though she didn't really have anything to compare it to; long blonde hair framed her face, with a long ahoge sweeping out to one side almost comically. Her fringe was pinned back out of her purple eyes with some rather plain looking hair-clips, and the rest of her outfit didn't give her much to go on either. It looked like a fairly average 'schoolgirl' ensemble – black shoes and knee high socks, a purple pleated skirt, and a white button up and tie covered by a sleeveless and lilac sweater. None of it was emblazoned with any emblems or logos she could use as a clue to her identity.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn't be that easy.” She thought aloud, hands reaching up to grab her backpack straps. Wait, backpack? She blinked, and looked again. Sure enough, she'd been wearing a backpack the whole time. It felt moderately heavy- perhaps the items inside contained a hint?

Before she could get to that however, the locker next to the one she'd been sleeping in started to rattle, something inside struggling against the metal. Kaede took a step back in alarm and almost shrieked, before logic took over.

' _Someone else must be in the same position I was._ ' She felt a little bit silly for thinking it was some kind of monster or something. Still, this was a very unnerving situation regardless. She reached out her hand and pulled at the handle, yanking the locker door open.

A person came tumbling out, and Kaede quickly realised her miscalculation as they landed on top of her, knocking her flat on back. She yelped as her head hit the tiled floor for the second time today, and the person accidentally assaulting her yelled as well.

Her vision swam, and she must have blacked out for a second, because a moment later the person was standing over her, looking panicked and saying something to her. With a groan, she sat up and slapped both hands to her cheeks, which somehow cleared the ringing in her head.

“-all right? Can you hear me?” Now that she was focusing again, she looked up at her new acquaintance. They were rather androgynous in appearance, with a pale face and chin length midnight blue hair. Their outfit was rather interesting- a large black hoodie with long sleeves shrouded much of their upper form, along with a set of worn, faded jeans and a pair of dark brown hiking boots. They wore a black baseball cap on their head, pulled down low and at an angle to cover their eyes. They had a thick belt looped around their waist, on which several colored plastic containers hung.

' _The only skin showing is their hands and their face, and even the face is mostly obscured' Kaede mentally catalogued. 'Most likely insecure and not very social. Treat with delicacy._ '

...

”...What on earth?” Kaede muttered in reaction to her own thoughts as much as anything else. That was a rather...odd thing to think when first meeting someone, wasn't it? Or maybe it wasn't. It's not like she had any kind of reference point.

Unfortunately, it seemed the person took her words as aimed at them, and shrunk back.

“Ah...again, I'm sorry. This is all my fault...” They were breathing heavily, their hands quickly moving to clutch one of their containers closely, trembling.

A switch flipped in Kaede's brain, and she shot to her feet immediately, an apologetic smile on her face. “No, no, I should be sorry! I'm the one who opened that locker suddenly, you couldn't have known you'd land on me.” That seemed to calm them somewhat, but they still looked wary of her, so she moved forward just an inch or two.

“What's your name?” She asked softly, reaching a hand out to hover just above their shoulder, but not fully committing to the action- asking them permission. She noted idly she was about an inch taller than them.

“...S-Shuichi Saihara.” A boy, then. Said boy reached up to adjust his cap. His eyes darted to her hand apprehensively, so she withdrew it.

“Well, Shu-ich Sai-hara~” She said with a bright smile, stretching the name out on her tongue, testing how the syllables sounded, smirking a little as his pale cheeks blushed slightly. “...You don't have anything to worry about. I'm fine, see? You didn't hurt me.”

“...Yeah.” He returned her smile somewhat awkwardly, but he did seem a little less shaky. “...Sorry, I was just so shaken by waking up in that locker and then finding a girl knocked cold on the floor under me.” He looked around worriedly, taking stock of his surroundings. “Where...are we? I've never seen a classroom like this before. And...why was I in that locker?”

Kaede cocked her head to the side slightly. “So...you have seen a classroom before? You have memory of that?”

Shuichi looked at her quizzically. “Uh, yeah. I think everyone except very small children has seen some kind of classroom before.”

' _So, he has more memories than I do. Interesting._ ' Kaede thought to herself, but otherwise simply hummed in response.

Shuichi laughed nervously, hand reaching up to grab the brim of his cap again. “Ah, you're probably more interested in my Ultimate Talent than some classroom, huh?”

“Ultimate Talent?” She peered at him intently. “What's that?”

He was more startled by this than anything else so far. “Huh? You don't know about Ultimate Talents? How is that possible?”

Kaede grinned sheepishly. “Humour me. Pretend I'm a simpleton who knows nothing about anything.”

Shuichi hesitated, but then began to explain. “Well...someone with an 'Ultimate' talent is considered to be the very best at what they do, in whatever area that happens to be. The titles are officially handed out by the Ultimate Initiative to young people of high school age, who are then invited to attend the Ultimate Academies to nurture that talent.” He glanced off to one side, seemingly embarrassed at having talked for so long.

“I see, I see.” Kaede absorbed this new information hungrily, arms crossed and eyes closed in concentration. “So the building we're in right now, is that this 'Ultimate Academy?'

“Of course.” Shuichi responded confidently. “One of them, anyway. I've not seen pictures of the inside, but I was standing just outside the academy before I woke up in that locker.”

' _Or perhaps you were moved somewhere else while you were unconscious_.' Kaede thought privately, but she didn't air her concerns. Shuichi seemed the type to panic easily.

“So...why do you think we were put in those lockers?” She asked carefully.

Shuichi sighed dejectedly. “Probably a prank by some upperclassmen. That sort of thing happens to me a lot.”

“What do you mean?” Kaede frowned.

“A-ah! Nothing!” Shuichi quickly responded. “A-anyway, I'm sure we can find a teacher or something in a bit. But...if it's alright,” He looked at her shyly, and she noted he had rather long eyelashes. “...Could we finish introducing ourselves first?”

Kaede doubted very much that the explanation for the strange scenario was something as innocent as a prank, but once again she stayed silent, smiling at her new friend once again. “Of course. What's your talent, Shuichi? I'd love to hear it.”

He smiled back, and unhooked one of the containers from his belt, holding it up to the light, revealing it's contents through the translucent plastic. It was a miniature terrarium, with a layer of sand and soil, leafy foliage and stones, and...

...A rather large, fierce looking stag beetle.

“I'm the Ultimate Entomologist.” Shuichi said with just the slightest hint of pride, and Kaede could feel his expectant look on her even as her own gaze was locked to the enormous critter, her stomach suddenly lurching.

“O-oh.” She said queasily. “That's uh, um...”

' _Shit. I don't want to upset him, but...I'm really not a fan of bugs, especially big ones..._ '

She plastered the biggest smile on her face she could possibly muster. “It's, uh...it looks very...healthy?” She slapped a hand to her forehead. “Uh, it looks very strong. Er, it's very pretty. It's-”

“It's okay.” Shuichi chuckled, returning the container to his belt, much to Kaede's relief. “I get that most people are grossed out by insects...but if people take the time to learn about them, you'll find that a lot of species make very good pets.”

“Ehehe...no offence, but I think I'll settle for a cat or a dog.” Kaede responded. She felt a little mean, but it's like not she could magically stop thinking badly of something so creepy looking. “So...what does that title entail, exactly? Have you collected the most bugs in the world?” She tried to spin the conversation in a more positive direction.

Shuichi seemed to brighten up at that, although he still seemed a little shy. “Ah, well, collecting specimens is one aspect of it, yes. But I also do a lot of work in other areas- like helping safely remove dangerous insects from a building, or saving endangered species, or even discovering new ones!”

He was talking excitedly now, practically gushing. It was pretty cute in all honesty, even if she wasn't a fan of the subject matter.

“I've even been working on an experimental study in how to genetically engineer bugs we get resources from- like spider silk and bee's honey- to have all sorts of beneficial properties. That could change a lot of industries, and-” Shuichi suddenly seemed to realise he'd been gushing, and his mouth tightened in a grimace, his hand moving once again to pull his cap down low. “Ah, um...sorry...you probably don't care about all that.”

Suddenly, Kaede felt a rush of unexplained anger. She stomped over to him, and poked his chest with a finger. “Hey! Don't be so hard on yourself!”

He recoiled as if struck, and she instantly felt bad. But she continued on. “Shuichi, there's nothing wrong with being passionate about something. Even if I don't get it, I'm happy that you wanted to share it with me.” She hesitated, then gingerly reached out and adjusted his cap, moving it out of his eyes. “...You should be more confident, Shuichi. You're a pretty cool guy.”

“...Me? Cool?” Shuichi said disbelievingly, looking at her like she was crazy. “You don't really mean that.”

Kaede smirked. “Shuichi I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you are the coolest guy I know.” She didn't add that it was only by default.

His cheeks lit up in a fierce scarlet even as he smiled shyly. “Heh, if you say so...”

“I do say so.” She said matter-of-factly. They both smiled at each other, a companionable silence resting between them for a few precious moments.

It was quickly shattered though, as Shuichi coughed politely. “So uh, yeah. That's me in a nutshell. And your name is...?”

“Oh, right!” Kaede jumped, cheeks flushed. “Of course, of course. Let's see...I'm pretty sure my name is Kaede Akamatsu, and my Ultimate Talent is...presumably, none!”

Confusion bloomed across Shuichi's face. “...Pretty sure? ...Presumably? What does that mean?”

“Heh...truth be told...” Kaede reflexively reached up to rub at the still-sore spot on her head. “My name is the only thing I can remember ever since I woke up in this classroom. Crazy, huh?”

“You mean, you have amnesia?!” Shuichi raised his voice in alarm. “T-that's...”

“Before you go ahead and blame yourself,” Kaede cut him off curtly. “I had amnesia before you knocked me to the ground, so it wasn't from that.”

“O-oh, alright.” Shuichi said, relieved. “Heh...that obvious huh? Still, we should probably get you to the school nurse or something.”

“Yeah, probably.” Kaede said disinterestedly. She knew that there would be no school nurse. She wasn't sure how she knew, but something in her gut told her it wouldn't be that simple. “Speaking of, shall we get going?”

He nodded, and the two of them moved over to the classroom door. Kaede gripped the handle and flung it open.

What awaited them was a long corridor with the same dull grey walls and floor, and the same bright white lights in the ceiling. The whole building gave off the impression of extremely uniform, strict design. There were no windows whatsoever, but there were a few doors with signs above them indicating them as other classrooms. Taking a few steps forward and then turning to look back, the classroom they came out of was 1-A.

The corridor stretched for quite a bit before turning a corner, and there was no one in sight.

“Perhaps there's someone in one of the other rooms?” Shuichi offered, to which Kaede nodded mutely. The duo quickly strode other to 1-B and opened the door, peeking inside. It was empty.

They hurriedly checked the others – 1-C, 1-D and 1-E, with no differing results. Shuichi looked a little nervous again, but he still seemed hopeful.  


“I'm sure that...everyone is probably in the assembly hall, or gym or something.” He explained.

“Hm.” Kaede hummed non-noncommittally.

They kept walking, and turned the corner. And any further denials died on Shuichi's lips.

The corridor transitioned into a wide open area, which seemed to be some sort of hub for various other passageways. The ceiling was six floors high, and there were walkways around the edge of the walls that served as the floor for those levels, thought the centre space was cut out and they could see all the way to the roof of the sixth floor. There was a set of stairs leading up to the first walkway on each side, but both were blocked by a metal grating.

Towering up through the central space, reaching just shy of the third floor, was an enormous statue of a cartoonish bear. It's left side was white marble, with a friendly and cute face like a mascot you could find anywhere. The right side however, was made of some kind of pitch black stone and had a sinister stretched grin showing off sharp teeth, and a jagged red eye that glowed red with some of installed light source.

The two-toned bear loomed over them, seemingly posed to observe anyone passing under it. The area at it's feet seemed to be some kind of open plan food court, with tables and chairs and a long, circular counter which contained various food items on display, though no one was manning it.

Kaede peered up curiously at the statue, and felt herself overcome by a wave of nostalgia. It was kind of cute in a morbid sort of way.

“W-what the heck?” Shuichi on the other hand, was less impressed. “This...this doesn't look right...where on earth are we?”

“Hey, look at that!” Kaede exclaimed as she extended a hand to point. “There's a person by the base of the statue.”

Sure enough, there was. From this distance all Kaede could make it was that it was a girl with blue hair. Said girl had looked over at them upon hearing them talk, and was now walking toward them.

“This...this is...” Shuichi was breathing heavily in deep gasps.

“Hey.” Kaede turned to him, and gently took one of his hands in hers. He flinched, but didn't pull away. “I know it's scary and confusing. But we have to stay calm, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Shuichi winced, squinting his eyes shut. “I...I'll try, Kaede.” He opened them again and let out a long exhale. “Okay...okay. I can do this. We need to think about this rationally...” He glanced down at their clasped hands. “Um...”

“Oh, right. Sorry!” Kaede squeaked, and let go.

“Oh, hello there!” A high pitched, breathy voice suddenly interrupted. Turning, Shuichi and Kaede came face to face with the girl who had been by the statue. In addition to her striking blue hair which was tied back in a rather large bun, she wore an expensive looking pair of rimmed glasses that made her eyes look rather large and bright.

She wore a long black dress with grey frilly apron over the front, and her hands were covered by navy blue formal gloves. All in all she gave off the look of a stern housekeeper, but her dyed hair and cheery voice ruined the illusion.

“Are the two of you alright? Quite a few people apparently hurt themselves mildly when they woke up.” She inquired worriedly, hands clasped in front of her.

“Yeah, I bumped my head on the floor after falling out of a locker.” Kaede said. “And you are?”

“Oh, where are my manners? My name is Tsumugi Shirogane, and I’m the Ultimate Maid. If either of you ever need assistance with anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” The maid followed her introduction with a deep curtsey. “For starters, I have first aid training, so I might be able to help with your head injury if I can locate a kit anywhere.”

“Ah, well I wouldn’t really call it an _injury_ , just a bit of a bump.” Kaede laughed it off, holding her hands up placatingly. “So...a maid, huh? Makes sense to me, you’ve got the sexy curves and the uniform and everything.” Kaede felt herself blurt out as her eyes roamed Tsumugi’s body appreciatively.

“K-Kaede!” Shuichi exclaimed, somewhat scandalized. Kaede blinked in confusion.

‘ _Where did that come from? I sounded like a dirty old man just now..._ ’

To her credit...Tsumugi barely batted an eyelid, and merely chuckled softly. “I’m afraid that while I have served many masters and pride myself on being able to accomplish any request, it’s probably not quite as romantic or elicit as you think. In fact, the service I get requested for the most is bodyguard work.”

“Bodyguard? Huh, I would never have guessed...” Shuichi mused, still side-eyeing Kaede a little bit. “Anyway...do you know anything about where we are or what’s going on? You mentioned ‘others’.”

Tsumugi nodded. “The two of you bring the total up to sixteen of us, if I’m not mistaken. We all woke up somewhere in this building, and the last thing we remember before that is that we were about to walk into the Ultimate Academy.”

‘ _So I’m for sure the odd one out with no memories whatsoever._ ’ Kaede thought. “Where is everyone else right now?”

“We all split up to investigate. So far we haven’t found anyone else...or any sign of an exit.” Tsumugi said with a sigh. “I’m not going to lie...the situation is very troubling. I stayed here to see if I could at least prepare some refreshments for everyone, but that’s impossible.”

“Why impossible? Isn’t there a display case full of food right over there?” Shuichi asked.

“Yes, but...well, it’s easier to just show you.” Tsumugi responded cryptically as she turned and walked back to the food court.

Kaede and Shuichi glanced at each other, then followed. The watchful gaze of the enormous statue felt like it was burning into them from above as they got closer to it’s base.

As they approached, they saw that the counter looped around in a circle, and included some fridge freezers, ovens and grills built it into along with the displays filled with food, with one small opening in the circle for a person to fit through and stand inside. Tsumugi stood by a freezer, and motioned them over.

“There’s quite of lot of equipment and food here,” She explained. “But look closely.” She then reached out and tugged on the freezer handle, but it didn’t budge at all. “All the places food is stored are locked, and the stove or grill won’t turn on either.”

“Hrm...” Kaede hummed to herself as she peered closer, searching for a cause. Then, she spotted it: the one common element in the design of each object. “Oh, it’s because-“

“You need the master key, nyeh.” A tired sounding girl’s voice interrupted Kaede’s deduction. Turning, she saw an incredibly short girl approach, looking almost childlike. She had striking blood red hair in a bob cut, and wore a burgundy long coat that reached down to her thick, oversized fuzzy boots. The coat was open slightly and underneath she seemed to just be wearing a plain red vest and a pair of smart pants. Her hands were in her pockets, she walked with a slight hunch, and her eyes looked exhausted.

“Oh, Himiko! You’re back.” Tsumugi said cheerfully, to which the newcomer responded with only a brief glance at the maid.

“Nyeh...if you look closely at all of this equipment, you’ll find that each one has a strip of metal somewhere.” Himiko explained in her odd voice. “That’s a card reader. So, there must be some kind of key card or similar that’s used to open them. A lot of the rooms I’ve investigated so far use them.”

“Oh, I see...” Tsumugi said. “Any sign of the card?”

“No.” Himiko said bluntly, then turned to Kaede and Shuichi. “...Who are you?”

Kaede bristled. Something about this girl rubbed her the wrong way. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu, and this here is Shuichi.”

“Nice to meet you.” Shuichi said cautiously. He squirmed uncomfortably as Himiko turned her eye on him.

“...The Ultimate Entomologist.” She said, sounding bored.

“Eh? T-thats right.” Shuichi said, surprised. “How did you guess that?”

Himiko sighed deeply. “Not guessed. Deduced.”

“Deduced?” Kaede questioned, catching on. “Then that would make you...”

“Fall to your knees!” She suddenly said with much more enthusiasm, raising herself up to her full (though still rather lacklustre) height. “Criminals and villains run and hide from the all seeing eye of Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Detective!” Her sudden impassioned speech was apparently a bit much, as she immediately slumped back into her hunch with a sigh.

“The Ultimate Detective? Wow, that’s amazing!” Shuichi enthused, clearly impressed. “Let me guess- you could tell just by looking at my outfit what my talent was, using your deductive reasoning and powers of observation?”

“No, I just looked you up online before coming here.” Himiko deadpanned.

“O-oh...” Shuichi deflated. “I guess that would be the easy way, yeah.”

“Yeah, it mentioned the names of who our fellow classmates would be in the freshman letter we all received earlier in the year.” Tsumugi added. “So, it looks like it was definitely one specific class that was brought here.”

“Wait...” Kaede cut in her, brow furrowed. “So...you did research on the everyone who was set to attend the Academy, right Himiko? And all of those people are here now?”

Himiko eyed her cooly. “That’s right.”

“Then...did it say anything about me?” She asked hopefully.

“No...it didn’t.” The miniature detective said, eyes narrowing. Then, she turned on her heel and started walking away. “Nyeh...I have more areas to look into.”

“Ah, wait! Himiko!” Kaede shouted after her, but it seemed she was being firmly ignored by the young investigator. “What the hell is her problem?” She muttered to herself angrily.

“Ah...don’t take it personally, Kaede.” She’s been like that with everyone.” Tsumugi said consolingly, but Kaede wasn’t convinced.

She knew the look in Himiko’s eyes: suspicion and distrust of Kaede specifically. And just like the bear statue, it felt...

Nostalgic.

Disturbed, Kaede turned to Tsumugi to explain. “It’s just...I haven’t been able to remember my talent, or much of anything, since I got here. I was hoping she might know something.”

Tsumugi’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s terrible! You must be so frightened and confused...that means its more important than ever we take a look at that bump on your head!”

Kaede sighed. “It’s not that, don’t worry. Anyway...I...” Her thoughts were swirling in her head, and she felt a little sick, but she tried not to let it show, smiling brightly. “I’m not gonna let something like that get me down! Come on, Shuichi?”

“Eh?” Shuichi yelped as she linked her arm with his, pulling him along as she choose a direction at random and started walking. “What are you doing?!”

“I’m going to do some investigating of my own. I’m going to get to the bottom of what’s going on around here...and who I am.” She said cheerfully, a bounce in her step. “And you get to be my partner Shuichi!”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” He grumbled, but she could see the corners of his mouth quirk upward slightly, and he didn’t pull away this time.

“Nope.” She responded cheekily, to which he rolled his eyes. And together, they started to walk down another corridor, their destination unknown.

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy all. This is a fic I’ve been nurturing for a while, and I’m quite eager to see it grow. While not perfect, V3 was my favourite entry in the series and I want to explore it’s characters even more. I think you’ll find some of the talentswaps I’ve made quite interesting. Please feel free to leave a comment and a like, and I welcome criticism/theories/etc.


	2. Day I: Locked Rooms

Unlike the rather stark corridor containing the classrooms, the passageway Kaede and Shuichi found themselves traversing was considerably more colorful. The walls and floor were a bright red, and the ceiling lights were tinted red as well. As with the first corridor, it was rather hard on the eyes.

"The design of this place makes no sense." Kaede said, squinting. "Not to mention, aside from the colors, doesn't everything seem kind of...bare?"

"Hm...you're right." Shuichi agreed with a nod. "The walls are all plain, aside from signs above doors. If this really was a school, wouldn't there be things like posters, noticeboards, that sort of thing?"

"Oh, wait. What's that over there?" Kaede said as she pointed at some kind of panel built into the wall. "Let's take a closer look, Shuichi!"

"Ah, okay..." Shuichi mumbled as she pulled him along.

The panel in question appeared to be some kind of maintenance panel, though exactly for what was unclear: there were no labels or sign. And right next to the handle to pull it open, was another magnetic strip.

"Another card reader?" Kaede huffed. "Seems everything potentially useful is locked off. That's so annoying..."

"And rather impractical, too." Shuichi noted. "Whoever made this place must have been obsessed with security..."

Seeing nothing else to do with the maintenance panel the two moved on, coming upon the first door in the corridor. Unlike the classroom sliding doors, this was a large set of double doors that were as tall as the whole wall. A sign next to it denoted it as 'Supplies Warehouse'.

"This could be useful." Kaede said. "And it looks like the doors themselves aren't locked. Let's go in!"

Pushing open the doors, they found themselves in a second wide open area. Compared to the central foyer, it was only 2 stories high. It was much longer however, with row upon row of ceiling high storage units extending deep into the distance.

At a glance, the shelves seemed to be stocked with all manner of useful goods, including non-perishable foods. But before the two investigators could take a proper inventory, their attention was diverted by the sound of gleeful laughter.

"Ohhh, you're so cool! Hey, hey, can I touch your body? I've never touched a robot before!" At the base of one of the storage racks, a very odd pair was talking. The person speaking was a young boy with spiky purple hair and a look of child-like wonder on his face. He wore a checkered scarf around his neck, a tight fitting black formal jacket that looked rather worn, with some of the buttons torn off and a few odd stains. His pants weren't in much better condition, and the discoloration showed up much worse on their stark whiteness.

"...Very well, I do not mind. But please do not press any buttons without asking first." If the first speaker looked odd, then the second speaker looked out of this world. She was, frankly, a robot. Her skin was a military looking gunmetal with occasional translucent glass lines running across her body through which circuitry could be seen. Her hair and eyes looked oddly realistic; the hair cropped short and silver, moving and shifting when she turned her head much like it would on a human.

Her 'clothes' were actually indistinguishable from her body. She had strategically placed armor plating on her legs and arms to create the illusion of elbow gloves and knee high boots, which looked pretty heavy. Her chest had some kind of panel on it with various switches and dials, with a slight curvature to imitate breasts. Finally, she had curved spines extending from around her waist in a circle, which were connected by layered plating to create a 'skirt'.

Kaede's eyes lit up in excitement as she strode over, though Shuichi just stared with his mouth wide open.

"Um, hello there!" Kaede called out. "Who are you two?" The boy ignored her, continuing to poke and prod at the robot girl's body, giggling occasionally. Said robot however turned and addressed Kaede with a soft smile.

"Greetings, it is nice to meet you. Even if the circumstances could be preferable." Her voice only had the slightest hint of computerization, otherwise sounding like a refined girl. "I understand my appearance may be alarming, but I am student here just like the rest of you." She wrestled a hand from her 'assailant' effortlessly, and gestured to herself. "I am T0-J0, the Ultimate Robot. But it would please me for you to call me 'Tojo'."

"The Ultimate Robot? That's incredible!" Kaede gushed, clasping her hands in front of her. "Your movements look so natural and pretty!"

"How...does that work exactly?" Shuichi asked as he eyed Tojo cautiously. "I heard on the news that some kind of experimental advanced robot was in development, but I never realized it would be an Ultimate student..."

"To summarize it briefly..." If Tojo was offended by essentially being a specimen under a microscope to her peers, she didn't show it. "I was designed with the intention of being a truly artificial human. I am installed with the most complex AI in the world, with true sapience and the capability to feel emotions, learn, and adapt. My mission...is to interact with my peers and live a normal human life." She then looked slightly nervous. "So please, do not hesitate to ask me for anything. I desire to get along with everyone."

"Well, of course we'll be your friends Tojo!" Kaede beamed. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu. Uh, no talent. It's kind of a long story..."

"Whaaaaat? You don't have an Ultimate Talent? That's boooooring!" The young boy whined, speaking to Kaede for the first time. "Though really, in comparison to Tojo here, every talent is rather boring, isn't it?" He said with a grin as he finally relinquished his hold on Tojo's body.

"And you are...?" Shuichi inquired, to which the mischievous boy grinned.

"Nihihi...you mean you haven't heard of me? I'm Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Super-Villain!" He spread his arms wide and tossed his head back, grinning from ear to ear. "I have so many crazy powers, and a lust for domination and fighting heroes! No one can stop my evil schemes!"

"...Uh, what?!" Shuichi shouted in surprise. "Is that true?!"

Kaede titled her head to one side. "You're lying, aren't you?"

Kokichi deflated, his hair somehow drooping as tears pooled in his eyes. "Aww, you caught me. Yeah, that was a lie...the truth is...my talent is that I'm..." He suddenly brightened up again, smiling brightly. "...the Ultimate Lucky Student! My good fortune is so incredible, all sorts of unlikely situations happen around me! Winning lotteries, a great love life, never getting injured..."

"But if you're so lucky, how did you end up trapped here with the rest of us?" Kaede pointed out.

"Nihihi, maybe this is actually good luck that just _looks_ like bad luck!" Kokichi explained in a dramatic voice, like he was telling a story to a young child. "Buuuuut....yeah, you got me again! That's not my talent either!"

"It is a pointless endeavor." Tojo said with a sigh. "He has already given me twelve different backstories, of which only three had a probability of being true higher than fifty percent."

"Which one do you think is the most likely?" Shuichi asked curiously. Kokichi just watched with bated breath.

"...Hm. According to my calculations, Kokichi is most likely...the Ultimate Child Caregiver." Tojo said, though she still didn't sound confident.

"Whaaaat?" Kokichi looked shocked, sweating. "No no no, that's wrong. You totally picked the wrong one!"

"...That definitely means it's the right one." Kaede said, amused. _'It would make sense, since he's like a child himself.'_ "I could definitely see him taking care of kids and entertaining them with outlandish stories..."

"Oh? You're quite the charmer, aren't you Kaede?" Kokichi said, cocking his head cutely. "I bet you'd be a good mom."

"W-what are you saying?!" She responded fiercely, blushing. "You can't just say stuff like that, I'm way too young to have a kid!"

For a brief moment, Kaede swore she saw a dark shadow flit across Kokichi's face. "Too young, huh?" He muttered. "Sometimes, not everyone has the luxury of making that choice..."

"...What does that mean?" Shuichi asked curiously.

" _So_ , what's your name, hm?" Kokichi said suddenly, fixing Shuichi with a sly stare. "Those are some pretty neat creepy crawlies on your waist there."

"Ah, Shuichi Saihara. Ultimate Entomologist." Shuichi mumbled, less confident now the attention was on him. "Nice to meet you..."

 _'Kokichi changed the subject pretty forcefully there.'_ Kaede noted to herself. _'Seems kids are a sensitive topic...pretty ironic if he really is the Ultimate Child Caregiver.'_

"So, what have the two of you found out about our situation?" Kaede asked. "Like, what's the deal with this warehouse?"

"In regards to who imprisoned us here, or why, or how...I'm afraid we have discovered little." Tojo responded. "But it's clear they intend to keep us here for a long time, and in relative comfort." She pointed at the storage racks. "There is enough canned and other non-perishable food to last us for potentially several years."

"Not that you need food yourself, right Tojo?" Kokichi quipped cheekily.

"Indeed." She hummed.

"What else is in the warehouse?" Shuichi asked.

Tojo let out a small chuckle. "It would be more efficient to catalog what is _not_ in the warehouse. Sports equipment, toiletries, DIY and hardware items, electronics...it will take some time to do a full inventory."

"Hmm...whoever brought us here has a lot of resources at their disposal." Kaede added. "Well, we'll let you keep doing that inventory. Me and Shuichi have more places they want to check."

"...Can you let me know if you find any garden supplies?" Shuichi asked. "A lot of it is useful in the proper management of insects, so..."

"Your request has been noted." Tojo said with a smirk. "Kokichi, will you help me?"

"Ehh...that sounds like a lot of work..." Kokichi whined, looked at the ground sadly. "But with you Tojo, everything is super fun and not boring!" He quickly said with laughter.

 _'This kid's mood is all over the place...'_ Kaede thought to herself as she and Shuichi made their way out of the warehouse. "It was nice meeting you!" She called over her shoulder before closing the doors.

"Well, they were both very...unique." Shuichi commented. "In more ways than one."

Kaede grinned as they started walking again. "I know the situation is kind of scary, but can't you say you're a little excited? There are so many colorful people here!"

"...I suppose that's one way of looking at it..." Shuichi said, sounding unsure.

The two then turned a corner, and came face to face with a mountain.

A hulking giant of a man stood before them, easily over six feet tall and well on his way to seven. He wore a white polo shirt and white shorts that barely contained his muscular chest and fully showed off his deadly looking arms and legs. He had a wild mane of green hair which tied back into a ponytail with a red ribbon.

His intimidating aura was somewhat offset by the large pair of round glasses on his face, through which he looked at Shuichi and Kaede with gentle eyes.

“Ah, new friends!” The stranger said with a cheery smile, hands on his hips. “Gonta is very pleased to meet you!”

“Ah...hello there.” Kaede timidly replied. “Are you an Ultimate too?”

Gonta nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes. Gonta’s name is Gonta Gokuhara...and Gonta’s talent is, Ultimate Tennis Pro!”

“Wait...THE Gonta Gokuhara? I’ve heard of you.” Shuichi said with a slight hint of awe. “You’re an international champion who’s never been defeated in any match...”

“Eh? He’s never been defeated!?” Kaede said in shock. “That’s amazing...although, looking like that, it’s not hard to believe...”

“Right....because Gonta look scary, huh?” Gonta looked away to one side sadly.

Realizing her mistake, Kaede quickly tried to cover her tracks. “Uh, no, I just meant that-“

“It’s okay.” Gonta said with a sigh. “Gonta been this big since he was kid. Other kids make fun of Gonta a lot, so Gonta not bothered any more.”

 _‘Doesn’t seem like you aren’t bothered to me...’_ Kaede thought privately.

“So...you were bullied a lot.” Shuichi seemed especially sad at that news. “I’m sorry to hear that. If it’s not too rude to ask...why do you talk like that?”

“...I admit, I’m curious too.” Kaede added. “Ah, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to! Me and Shuichi aren’t bullies!”

Gonta seemed to think about it for a moment. “Hm...okay. Two of you seem like nice people. Gonta will tell you secret story.” He looked around furtively, then leaned in close to whisper. “Other kids mean to Gonta so much, one time Gonta run away into forest. Gonta got lost for ten years.”

“Ten years?!” Kaede felt her mouth drop open in shock.

“Ten years.” Gonta nodded sadly. “Gonta found new family among forest animals, and Gonta become strong in forest. But Gonta miss out on school, so Gonta not that smart when he finally found by first family.”

“So...what made you decide to take up tennis?” Shuichi asked curiously.

“Gonta want to prove to first family that Gonta can be gentleman again.” Gonta explained. “So, Gonta’s goal is to become world’s greatest gentleman! And Gonta hear that tennis is the gentleman’s sport, so Gonta set out to master tennis!”

 _'...That's cricket. He picked the wrong one...'_ Kaede realized with a sinking heart. She glanced at Shuichi, who met her gaze and simply shook his head.

"...Well, I'm sure you'll be able to do it Gonta! You'll be wearing a top hat and monocle and sipping tea before you know it!" She said as she patted his beefy arm in encouragement.

"Oh...Gonta can no wear monocle. Interferes with glasses." Gonta replied. 'But glasses gentlemanly too, right?"

"Hm...I think 'being a gentleman is more to do with how you act than how you look." Shuichi pointed out.

"Bug man probably right." Gonta nodded sagely.

"...Bug...man..." Shuichi blinked, clearly not expecting that. He didn't look insulted to Kaede however...he even seemed somewhat pleased?

_'This conversation is getting odd...let's get back on track.'_

"So Gonta," Kaede began. "Have you found anything down this hallway?"

"Oh, yes!" He said excitedly, and stepped aside to point. "Two more rooms here, but they both locked. They seem special." His massive frame had blocked their view of the rest of the corridor, and now that he had moved out of the way they saw two doorways, one right next to the turn in the corridor and one at the end of the corridor itself a bit further down.

Kaede stepped over to the closest door. Unlike the sliding doors of the classrooms or the double doors of the warehouse, these doors were metal and had no handle at all. Instead, they were equipped with a card reader just like the maintenance panel and food court equipment. Most notably, this one had a placard on the door with a stylized picture of a non-specific insect.

"...Hm. Could this room have something to do with you, Shuichi?" Kaede put forward even as she ran her hands across the surface of the door, trying to find any secret switches that could bypass the card reader.

_'May as well check just in case, right?'_

"...Possibly?" Shuichi said noncommittally as Kaede continued to inspect the door. Her search bore no fruit, though she did notice the that the picture of the insect could actually be slotted out of it's holder, essentially unmarking the door. She left it as she found it, though.

"Gonta think these rooms definitely to do with students." Gonta offered. "See other door? It look like Tennis Room." Sure enough, the room at the end of the hallway had a placard just like this one, only with an image of a tennis racket. "If this room for Shuichi, then that room for Gonta?"

"Seems like it. There are similar rooms on the opposite hallway, too." A new voice cut in without warning, and the three spun around to look.

Much like Gonta, the new boy had green hair, but that was where the similarities ended. He was tall and skinny, wearing a dark blue and black striped button up shirt with a high turned up collar Draped around his shoulders was a long cloak of emerald green, though the inside was black and littered with various stitched arcane runes that shimmered as he moved. His ears were pierced with several rings and studs, and his hands were adorned with white silk gloves.

"-Ah! Rantaro, you no should sneak up on people like that!" Gonta shouted in alarm. Shuichi had to duck quickly to avoid being squashed as Gonta instinctively flung his arm back.

"I wasn't sneaking. I just walked up to you guys normally." Rantaro chuckled, his voice rather deep and measured. "Still, sorry if I startled you guys."

"It's no problem." Kaede responded, stepping away from the door and towards the fancily dressed newcomer. "And you are...?"

"My name is Rantaro Amami." He said politely with a flourish of his hand. "And you've probably already guessed my talent, but-"

"I know, I know! The Ultimate Magician, right?!" Kaede cut him off excitedly. "Your outfit is so snazzy!"

"That's right. They call me the Man of Mystery. Not a trick, stunt or illusion I've ever failed." He said casually, as if talking about the weather. "Really though, it's nothing all that special."

 _'Hm...going by his looks and his talent, I'd expect him to be kind of flashy and arrogant. But he actually seems rather down to earth?"_ Kaede noted. _'Maybe it's different when he's not on the stage.'_

"And from what I've heard," He continued. "You're somewhat of a mystery yourself, right Kaede?"

"Eh? How did you..."

He laughed nervously, running a hand through his messy hair. "Word's gonna travel fast in an enclosed space like this. Kokichi spotted me walking past the warehouse and he insisted he tell me all about the 'girl with no talent'."

Kaede huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, it sounds really bad when it's phrased like that. 'The girl with amnesia' is more accurate- sounds more like a mystery, too"

"...You mentioned more rooms like these, Rantaro?" Shuichi changed the conversation awkwardly.

Kaede was starting to feel a little guilty- she'd been taking the lead in all of their meetings with new students, and her partner probably felt left in the dust a little bit.

Rantaro nodded, gesturing to the insect sign. "There are two more in the hallway directly opposite this one. Come to think of it, it's exactly the same layout as this hallway, but instead of a warehouse it's got a huge library."

"Hm...library, huh?" Gonta pondered to himself, a single finger raised questioningly to his chin. "Gonta should get some studying done...have much school to catch up on."

"Oh, if you need any help Gonta, we could form a study group!" Kaede offered cheerfully, pumping her fists up in an encouraging pose.

"Really? Miss Akamatsu would do that? Such a nice lady!" Gonta gushed.

"Ah...if our goal is to escape this place, we probably won't be around long enough to do that..." Shuichi shot down their idea swiftly.

"Ah, that's true..." Kaede relented. "But there's no reason we can't stay friends after!"

"Well, ideally we would leave as quickly as possible." Rantaro said, crossing his arms and looking pensively into space. "But I don't think it's gonna be that easy. The sixteen of us have been combing over every inch of this place, and there's no exit yet."

"But...Rantaro is magician!" Gonta protested. "Can use magic to save everyone!"

Rantaro let out a barking laugh. "'Fraid it doesn't quite work like that, but I appreciate the vote of confidence. For now, we might have to accept that fact that this is gonna take some time to solve."

"So even with sixteen Ultimates here, it's looking pretty bad..." Shuichi concluded sadly.

 _'Fifteen.'_ Kaede mentally corrected. _'And there are still some important things that we can work out from the building structure alone.'_

"So, getting back to the rooms..." Kaede segued the topic back on track. "Did they have placards on them like these?"

"Yeah, they did. One of them had a paintbrush and easel image, the other an apron and a feather duster. Both of which match up with Ultimate Talents of people present."

 _'Tsumugi, the Ultimate Maid...and someone else who's the Ultimate Artist.'_ Kaede quickly surmised, eyes closed as she pondered the information she had available to her. "And no other rooms like those?"

"Nope." The magician affirmed. "The other corridor leads to what looks like a dormitory section, and then there's some bathrooms near to the classroom corridor."

"Anything else must be blocked off on the higher floors..." Shuichi added, fidgeting with his mini-terrariums again.

The four of them sunk into a uneasy silence as they digested the unsettling information.

_'If the rooms each correspond to a specific person's talent...were those rooms made specifically for those people? If so, why? Is it those four specifically, or are there more on the higher floors? Why limit our access to the other floors? Why give us rooms and equipment but then block access to them with the card readers?'_

Kaede felt her brain working at a feverish pace to unravel it all. _'Sixteen people in a controlled and enclosed space, with food and accommodations to keep them comfortable indefinitely...'_

_'I know I've heard of that before...but where?'_

Try as she might, she just couldn't place it. Like trying to keep water from flowing through her fingers, the obvious answer she knew existed eluded her.

"Hmmm...how annoying." She pouted, puffing up her cheeks. "Well, the only way is forward. I'm gonna go check out the library next." Placing her hands on her backpack straps, she strode past Rantaro. "Thanks for your help, Rantaro. This mystery girl isn't going to rest until she solves this whole thing!"

"Best of luck to you on that."

She nodded, then raised her eyebrows at Shuichi. "You coming, Shuichi?"

Shuichi jumped, awakening from his own thoughts. "R-right. Lead the way, Kaede."

Though they had a better understanding of the layout of the building, and met some interesting people, they were still no closer to discovering what was happening or what to do.

 _'Still, I feel...happy.'_ Kaede thought, her head buzzing and her blood pumping fiercely as she moved back to the foyer with purpose. _'For all intents and purposes, I've only been 'alive' for roughly an hour. So in a way, I've lived the most exciting life of anyone here....'_

_'What a strange world.'_

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter! What do you guys think of this next batch of Ultimates? I'm sure nothing horrible will ever happen to any of them.
> 
> Would have got this chapter out sooner, but my laptop's been in for repairs so I can only use a computer when my housemate is asleep. Rip.


	3. Day I: Memento

Exiting the corridor and stepping back into the foyer, Kaede and Shuichi once again found themselves under the shadow of the giant bear statue. Tsumugi and Himiko were nowhere to be seen, clearly having moved elsewhere. Directly across from them on the opposite side of the food court was the corridor with the other rooms Rantaro had mentioned, and to their left past the statue was yet another corridor that apparently lead to the dormitories. To their right was the classroom corridor they'd originally come from, and also...

"Let's have a look at those bathrooms." Kaede said, changing her trajectory towards perhaps the most important facilities in the whole place. "I doubt there will be anything that unusual, but we should probably check just to make sure."

"Er...okay." Shuichi seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea, to which Kaede rolled her eyes.

The duo moved through a small archway into a small chamber, which had a blue door on the left and a pink door on the right. Thankfully, neither of them had card readers.

' _I hate to think of the chaos that would ensue if they did_...' Kaede thought with a barely suppressed shudder.

"Well, guess we need to split up here." She said teasingly, to which Shuichi flushed red in embarrassment.

"R-right. See you in a minute..." He said nervously, heading to one of the doors and placing his hand to push it open.

"Um...Shuichi?" Kaede stopped him hesitatingly. "That's the girl's bathroom."

Shuichi blinked, and suddenly backed away as if stung by the pink door. "Ah, sorry! I um...I wasn't thinking. I'll just...I...yeah." He quickly slunk over to the boys room, hurriedly opening it and moving inside before Kaede could say anymore.

'... _Well, that was odd_.' Kaede wasn't quite sure what to make of that reaction, so instead she just pushed forward and entered the girls bathroom.

For all that build up, it was rather underwhelming. A row of sinks and mirrors against one wall, several stalls, and a utility closet. She did note however that there was a security camera tucked away in one corner, barely visible due to it's small size. Had those been in the warehouse or hallways too? She honestly couldn't remember, she'd been too preoccupied with the people she'd met, though she knew they were in the classrooms. Thankfully from the angle, it couldn't see into the stalls...right?

Kaede had walked past the stalls to get a better look at the camera, and was startled when she heard the sound of a toilet flushing behind her- she wasn't alone. She barely had time to turn around before one of the stall doors slammed open with a loud bang, and a girl walked out.

"Jesus Christ!" Said girl almost screamed as she noticed Kaede staring at her. "How long have you fucking been there?! You almost gave me a heart attack, bitch!"

Kaede just stared at the rude girl, stunned. She had long and wavy blonde hair and a beautiful face that was ruined by being twisted into a scowl. As for her outfit...Kaede felt heat rise to her cheeks just looking at it. She had a black choker around her neck with a metal heart clasp over her throat- surely that was uncomfortable? She wore a pastel pink t-shirt with a design of a computer keyboard across her rather generous chest, with the slogan 'Push my buttons'.

The implication was not lost on the amnesiac girl.

The stranger's lower half was only slightly less suggestive, with a pleated black skirt that was so short she may as well have just been not wearing one, and a pair of white stockings with cat heads at the top, held up by thick leather garter straps.

"Uhh..." Was all Kaede could say, taken aback both by the girl's outfit and her foul mouth.

"What was that? Speak up, I only have so much precious time to spend on mousey girls like you!" The girl said haughtily, running a critical eye over Kaede's own appearance. Apparently, she wasn't impressed. "So, what are you supposed to be?"

"H-hold on a second!" Kaede protested, finally finding her voice. "I know we're in a stressful situation, but there's no need to be so rude!"

"Eeeeeee!" Much to her surprise, her response was quite effective as the girl recoiled, suddenly breaking out into a cold sweat.

"W-what the hell...I just asked who you were..." She mumbled, hands flailing about in a panic. "Just trying to icebreak the situation, and I get chewed out..."

Kaede blinked, horribly confused. _'She seems genuinely upset...but can't she see how hypocritical she's being_?!'

Taking a deep breath, Kaede forced a smile onto her face. "Ah, maybe we just got onto the wrong foot. I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I can't remember what my talent is. And your name is...?"

"Tch...can't remember your talent? Well that's not fucking suspicious at all." The strange girl scoffed, apparently already over being scolded. "Still, you seem like you aren't a normie...barely. I'm the beautiful genius famous the world over, Miu Iruma- Ultimate Cosplayer, baby!"

' _So much for extending an olive branch_...' Kaede thought with dismay. 'And what the heck is a ' _normie_ '?'

Miu strutted up to Kaede cockily, getting a bit too close for her liking. Kaede was suddenly keenly, uncomfortably aware that her back was against the sinks and there was no way to get around Miu to the door.

"Um-" She started to say, but was quickly cut off.

"Favorite anime?" Miu asked brusquely, staring Kaede dead in the eyes with an aura of complete seriousness.

"A-anime? Um, I don't have one."

"Hm...understandable. I can't just pick one, either." Miu nodded sagely.

' _I meant that I've never actually watched any to my knowledge, but maybe that won't go over well_...'

"What about manga? Games?" Miu continued to interrogate her, hands on her hips. "I need to know what I'm working with here, if there's not at least one person in this shithole who doesn't have garbage tier taste I may as well just drown myself in the toilets right now."

' _I have...no idea what you're talking about_.' Kaede thought with anguish.

"S-so! Um..." Kaede desperately fished for something else to talk about. "What exactly do you do as the Ultimate Cosplayer, Miu?"

"Haha! More like what I don't do!" Miu let out a boisterous laugh. "If there's one thing that gets sad otakus raring to go more than a sexy lady, it's a sexy lady who can be any character, flawlessly!" She glanced to the side with a look of disdain. "Course, I'd never actually give those disgusting plebs any action. Jacking it to my photoshoots is the only thing I'll give them!"

"I...see." Kaede said diplomatically, her face stony. ' _Well, we got the topic off of me at least. She certainly likes to talk about herself_...'

"And when I say any character, I mean any character. I'm so good at costumes, I could probably be a professional spy! Boy, girl, fantastical or real, I can make myself look like anyone!" Miu bragged.

Despite herself, Kaede was impressed. "That does seem pretty amazing. You do all that with just clothes and makeup?"

"Well those are essential, but there's tons of other materials you need for the really complicated ones, like characters with weapons or armor or shit." Miu answered as she finally backed away, turning to the sinks to wash her hands, much to Kaede's relief.

"I don't really get it...but it sounds like a lot of fun!" Kaede said with a smile. "So...any thoughts on our situation? Discovered any clues?"

"Whole lotta fucking nothing." Miu grunted. "Not that I've really been looking that hard...that flat-chested Nancy Drew wannabe is welcome to do it. I got more important things to do..." She finished washing her hands and wiped them unceremoniously on her shirt.

“What’s more important than investigating here?” Kaede said with disapproval. “In case you didn’t notice, this is a pretty serious situation.”

Miu’s eyes darted around shiftily. “Look, just get off my case, okay? I gotta…I just got things to do, okay?” And with that, Miu turned around…and walked right back into the stall she’d just vacated, slamming the door behind her and sliding the lock into place.

Kaede just stared, dumbfounded at the cosplayers selfishness. “E-excuse me?! What are you even doing?”

Miu gave no reply. The only sound that could be discerned was the slight rustling of clothes.

‘… _I guess that’s just her way of dealing with stress_ …’

"Well...good luck with that! Bye!" Kaede said hurriedly, and left.

As the bathroom door swung closed behind her, she heard a deep, hearty male laugh. Just ahead of her, Shuichi was standing next to a taller guy who was rather well built, with a single massive spike of midnight purple hair making him seem even taller. He had a soul patch that made him look older, and was wearing a simple white vest that was splattered with what looked like dried paint of various colors. Over the top of that he wore an oversized jacket, and she could see that many tools like small hammers, chisels and brushes hung from loops on the inside.

Kaede bit her lip as her eyes trailed his muscular frame. Why were all the girls and boys here so attractive? It wasn't fair.

Shuichi seemed impressed as well, listening attentively as the newcomer rambled confidently, arm slung over the shorter boy's shoulders.

"...and that's why I can guarantee you got nothing to worry about, Shuichi. We're all gonna get out of here just fine- and that's a promise from Kaito Momota, Painter of the Soul!" He said with a thumbs up and a wide grin.

' _Well, he's certainly optimistic_.' Kaede thought as she strode over.

"Hello!" She called out, the two boys looking over to her. "I see you made a new friend, Shuichi." She added cheekily, to which the entomologist smiled bashfully. "Kaito, was it?"

"That's right!" Kaito responded happily. "Ultimate Artist, in case you couldn't guess. And you must be Kaede! Shuichi here was just talkin' about you."

"Oh? Only good things I hope?" Kaede asked cheekily, to which Shuichi's cheeks flushed.

"O-of course!" He stammered, to which Kaito laughed.

"Anyway, good to meet you. I'm sure that memory of yours will come back soon! My intuition is never wrong!" Kaito boasted.

"I'll hold you to that, Kaito."

' _To be honest...I kinda hope my memory doesn't come back that quickly. It's fun trying to figure it out for myself...though I do want it back eventually, of course_.'

"So...an artist, huh?" She said cordially. "That means you're the fourth person who has a special room related to their talent."

"Seems like it." Kaito said with a shrug. "Not that it's any use locked up like that. And to be honest, I doubt I'd use it even if it was open. I always prefer to work outdoors, not holed up in some stuffy room." He lifted his arm from Shuichi's shoulders, and bumped his fists together. "You can't capture the beauty of the world if you can't even see it, after all!"

"Momota specializes in art of nature." Shuichi explained. "Not just typical landscape paintings though – he does sculptures, dioramas, all sorts of stuff-"

Kaito slapped Shuichi on the back and chuckled. "Turns out Shuichi here was a big fan of my stuff for a while before coming here. Small world, huh?"

"Aw, that's pretty cool. You must be happy, Shuichi!" Kaede beamed.

"Yeah..." Shuichi mumbled as he looked at the floor, though Kaede could just about make out a small smile.

"Well, I won't keep you guys. I wanted to check out the warehouse myself, they might have more art supplies in there or something. Later!" And with that Kaito set off in the direction of the warehouse corridor.

"Nice to meet you!" Kaede after him, to which he raised a hand and waved without turning to look.

' _Guess he thinks it makes him look cool_.'

Shaking her head in amusement, she stepped over to Shuichi, giving him a long stare with a smirk on her face.

"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?" He stammered.

"Heh, no reason." She sighed with a soft smile. "You're just cute when you have a crush, Mister 'long time fan'."

"I-it's not like that!" He protested loudly. "He's not...I'm not..." Shuichi took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I just think he's cool, is all. I don't have many friends that are guys, so..."

"Ah, I see. You want him to be your wingman while you pick up girls." Kaede said with a serious nod.

"T-that’s not it either!"

Kaede giggled, and took ahold of his hand. "I know, I'm just messing with you. In all seriousness, I'm happy you made a friend other than me. I...was feeling kind of guilty, to be honest."

Shuichi glanced down at their linked hands, but otherwise didn't comment as they started to move back into the foyer. "Guilty? Why?"

"Well..." Kaede brought her free hand to twist a lock of her hair between her fingers, not looking Shuichi in the eyes. "It's just, I've been so excited meeting all these people, I thought I was leaving you out of the conversations a lot? I don't know, it...it just kind of comes naturally to me to talk with people a lot, but I thought you might be lonely since it doesn't come so easily to you..."

Shuichi was quiet as her pondered her words, to which she cringed. "Sorry, I'm probably completely overthinking it and it's not a big deal..."

"Well...you're right in that I'm not very good at socializing." He said carefully. "But you shouldn't worry about it too much...you don't need to hold yourself back with others for my sake. I'm just...more a listener than a talker, I guess."

"Well, if you're sure..." Kaede said uncertainly. "I just...I want everyone to smile and get along. I don't know why, but I feel it in my gut that everyone here can be great friends."

"I hope so too, Kaede. But uh, hopefully after we find a way to escape first."

"Of course." She said with a nod.

They passed through the foyer uneventfully, catching sight of Tsumugi who had returned the food court, seemingly busying herself with cleaning the already spotless tables. Kokichi was there too, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on the table cheekily. Kaede rolled her eyes and waved at them, but only Kokichi seemed to notice, who waved back.

Kaede and Shuichi moved on, quickly arriving at the corridor leading to the library and other sealed rooms. It looked exactly the same as the warehouse corridor, save for one aspect- the walls and ceiling lights were a deep green. As before, there was an inaccessible panel on the wall close to the corridor entrance.

"A red corridor and a green corridor directly opposite each other...how odd." Shuichi pointed out.

"And hard on the eyes." Kaede pouted. "Though that's more due to the lights being fluorescent..."

A little ways down the corridor, they indeed came across a set of large double doors that looked identical to the warehouse doors.

"This must be the library." Kaede said. Sure enough, it had a sign on the wall next to it declaring it as such. "If it has the same dimensions as the warehouse, then there must be who knows how many books in there!"

"Perhaps there'll be something that's a clue to our situation?" Shuichi asked.

"Only one way to find out." And with that, Kaede pushed forward into the room.

It was indeed a huge library. Tall, expensive looking bookshelves made of mahogany towered all the way up to two stories, and Kaede had to crane her neck to see that high. Resting against one of the shelves was a moveable staircase on wheels with which to reach the highest tomes.

What couldn't fit on the shelves, lay piled on the floor. Books were everywhere, though at the very least they were stacked semi-neatly. A few tables and chairs for reading at were installed in the front part of the room.

But what was really strange was...

"These bookcases...they aren't arranged at all normally!" Kaede said in alarm. Indeed, instead of being in sensible rows, a single long bookcase extended nearly the whole width of the room, stopping just short and leaving a gap roughly three feet wide. Through it, they could see another bookcase a short distance away, running parallel to the first one.

Exchanging a glance, Kaede and Shuichi stepped forward into the opening, and looked to their left down the gap between the bookcases.

"It's...like a maze." Shuichi said in awe. The shelves intersected in a myriad of ways, creating small passageways and branching paths.

"Somehow, I don't think it'll be easy to find a specific book in this place." Kaede deadpanned.

“Well, for now we should probably explore it and see if there’s anything else of note.” Shuichi suggested. “There might be something else at the center, or the other side, or whatever else counts as the ‘end’ of the maze.”

“Good thinking, Shuichi!” Kaede said with a grin, and the two of them set off.

They walked peaceably for about 10 minutes or so, delving slowly deeper into the forest of words. Unfortunately, none of the shelves seemed to be organized by any kind of system, the selection of books being almost entirely random, making them useless as a reference point to avoid getting lost.

Instead, Kaede moved a book on every new shelf they came across to be sticking out slightly, so they knew which paths they’d taken already.

Eventually, they emerged into a more open space akin to the one by the library entrance. As before, they were tables, chairs and a movable staircase. There was also another door at the very back wall, leading somewhere else entirely. But really drew Kaede’s attention was…

There was a girl sitting in the middle of the space in a meditative pose, eyes closed and her expression tranquil. She had darker skin and short white hair, and was wearing what looked like a short tunic of bright orange. It was tied with a thick corded sash, the center of which had a large buckle in the shape of a wavy sun. The sleeves were baggy and the tunic was just long enough to reach her thighs, but otherwise her slender legs were bare. A pair of comfortable looking sandals adorned her feet.

"Um...excuse me?" Kaede whispered softly, trying to get her attention. "Sorry to bother you, but..."

"Hrm?" The girl opened a single eye but otherwise did not budge a single millimeter or say anything.

"Err..." Kaede felt like that single teal eye was staring deep into her soul. "Me and Shuichi have just been investigating and introducing ourselves to everyone, so..."

"Please, wait just one moment." And with that, the eye closed again and the girl returned to her mediation.

Kaede waited patiently. One minute passed...then two...then three...Shuichi had given up, and was browsing the nearby shelves in the search of a useful book. Kaede was about to cut her losses and join him when the girl finally opened both her eyes, and leapt to her feet with surprising athleticism.

"Alrighty!" She trilled melodically and with cheer. "I've finished with my preparations, and I'm ready to talk to you now!"

' _Why do I feel like I've finally come off being on hold on the phone_?' Kaede thought to herself.

"Alright...I'm Kaede Akamatsu. Who are you, and what were these ‘preparations’ you were doing just now?" She asked. "Regardless, it's nice to meet you..."

"And to you as well, Kaede! I'm Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Anthropologist. I was just in communion with the god of my island, Atua."

' _Communion? God? So she's the religious type_.'

"Oh, I see. What is Anthropology, exactly? I've feel like I’ve heard the term before, but I'm not entirely sure what it means." Kaede asked curiously.

Angie smiled serenely, extending her arms wide. "To put it simply...anthropology is the study of people. Our culture, our beliefs, and the origins of all of our daily customs. It's quite a broad topic, you know!"

"Um...” Shuichi suddenly spoke up from where he’d been hovering at the shelves. “Sorry if this sounds rude, but…that’s kind of an odd career choice, isn’t it?”

"Huh?” Kaede was rather taken aback. “What do you mean, Shuichi?"

"Hm, I see! Your friend is referring to how it is rather unusual for someone who studies the origins behind religion to be religious themselves, yes?" Angie replied, still sounding happy and relaxed.

“Ah…yeah. Sorry, I hope that wasn’t offensive or anything…” Shuichi mumbled guiltily.

"Oh, not to worry! It is a question I receive often.” Angie beamed, raising her hands above her head in some kind of weird pose. “In uncovering the truth behind how beliefs form and change throughout the years, or how religions the world over have common aspects and similar stories, many scientists tend to be atheistic. But they actually have it backwards! It is _because_ I study anthropology that my faith is so strong."

“Really? How come?” Kaede didn’t know why, but she felt like she could listen to Angie talk forever. Her genuine enthusiasm and energy was infectious.

"Well, It all ties into to my ongoing masterpiece- my thesis on the core nature of humanity and the divine.” Angie then laughed good-naturedly. “Ah, but it is quite complicated…it might require a lot of introductory debate before you have enough of a framework of understanding. For now…just be comforted in the knowledge that Atua is watching over us all.”

“I don’t really get it, but it certainly sounds interesting!” Kaede said, bouncing on her heels. “Like, for example…what were you communing with, uh…”

“Atua.” Angie offered patiently.

“Right. What were you communing with him about?”

Angie didn’t answer immediately, instead closing her eyes and humming to herself thoughtfully for a moment. “…About our situation. I was asking him for any insights or advice.”

“…And what did ‘he’ say?” Shuichi said, and though he was trying to be polite, Kaede could hear the skepticism in his voice, to which she shot him a reproaching look.

Again, Angie didn’t respond immediately, instead stepping over to Shuichi still with her eyes closed, her stride confident until she was right in front of him, stopping abruptly.

“Uh-“ He began, but didn’t get a chance to protest further as Angie delicately reached out her hand and grabbed a book from the shelf behind him blindly.

“Atua says.” Angie spoke in a low voice, suddenly serious. “That this book will help you.”

And, without even glancing at it herself, she pressed it into Shuichi’s grasp.

“Um…thanks?” Shuichi said, glancing down at it. Kaede couldn’t make out the title from where she stood, but it looked like some kind of textbook. “Ah, he didn’t say anything about…you know, who trapped us here, or how to get out?”

“Atua works in mysterious ways.” She responded. “Even I do not always understand his messages at first. And this message was meant for you, not me. I cannot tell you that which I do not know.”

She turned from the stunned entomologist to look at Kaede, smiling again. “That door over there is the A/V room. You’ll find Ryoma there. He’s very nice.”

“Oh, er, thank you!” Kaede said. “So…what are you going to do now, Angie?”

“I think I will head over to the food court. You weren’t here at the time, but everyone agreed to gather there after investigating everything for themselves.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Shuichi said distractedly, still staring at the book in his hands.

“And with that, I bid you farewell! May Atua watch over you!” Angie practically skipped over to the maze entrance, still somehow serene and graceful despite her overflowing energy.

“Oh, we marked the correct path for you with books!” Kaede called after her, but Angie was already gone. “Oh…do you think she’ll be okay?”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Shuichi scoffed. “She has _Atua_ to guide her, after all.”

Kaede frowned. “That’s pretty mean, Shuichi.”

He flinched, pulling his hat back down over his eye. “…Sorry. I just…I’m not a big fan of preachy types. I’m sure she’s harmless, but that kind of stuff really annoys me. She’s free to believe what she wants, but don’t expect me to take her at her word.”

“Well…I guess that’s fair.” Kaede said cautiously. To be honest, she was rather unnerved to see this sort of hostility from the normally meek boy. “So, um…what book did she give you?” She asked, eager to move on.

Shuichi shrugged, and showed it to her: It was indeed a small textbook, ‘ _Physics For Beginners Part 5: Light_ ’. The cover was the classic image of a glass prism receiving a beam of white light from one side and ejecting a rainbow of colours out the other.

“…Huh. Why does she think that will be helpful?” Kaede said as she crossed her arms thoughtfully.

“No idea. I mean, the shelves are randomized, and she picked it with her eyes closed. She probably didn’t even know what book she was giving me.”

“Well, there’s no harm in keeping it right? Just in case?” She argued, looking at Shuichi with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster.

“I suppose.” He agreed reluctantly. “Do you mind holding it in your backpack for me?”

“Sure thing- oh!” Kaede suddenly cried out, causing Shuichi to jump. “My backpack, I almost forgot!”

“Forgot what?” Shuichi said with bemusement as she slung the bag off her shoulders and unzipped it.

“There’s something in it already. Maybe it’s some sort of clue to my identity? I meant to check it earlier, but then I met you and got distracted with everything else” Kaede said, peering into the bag intently.

There were four things in there; an electronic tablet of some sort- with a black and white two-toned design on the casing- a spare pink vest like the one she was currently wearing, a deck of playing cards…and a combat knife.

Kaede stared at it dumbly. It was huge, with wicked looking jagged teeth built into the blade, and a sturdy looking carbon fiber handle. It looked worn, with nicks and scratches and a dullness to the metal. It had clearly seen a lot of use.

“Anything useful?” Shuichi’s voice brought her out of her stupor, and she was realized her was just about to crane his head over to take a look.

“Uh, yeah” Check out this tablet!” She said hurriedly, removing the device from her bag swiftly, careful not to cut herself on the knife. “It looks expensive. We live in the internet age, yeah? This is bound to have my Facepage account synced to it or something, right?” She made of show of it, practically shoving it in Shuichi’s face with one hand while the other stealthily zipped the bag up again. Her heart was racing, and her mouth felt very dry all of a sudden.

“It’s possible. But that’s assuming we even have wifi here…” Shuichi said, seemingly not noticing her near panic. “Though it’s stange…I don’t have my phone in my pockets or anything, so I’m guessing it must have been confiscated. Why did they let you keep this?”

“Y-yeah, that is odd.” Kaede stammered, trying to stay calm.

‘ _Forget the tablet- why is there a deadly weapon in my bag?! I can’t let Shuichi see it…who knows what he’ll think of me_?’

“Well, let’s turn it on and see!” Kaede said with false enthusiasm, running her hands over the device in search of a power switch. She found it on the side, and pressed it. She gazed into the dark screen, her pale face dimly staring back at her. She waited…

“Hm. Not turning on. Maybe it’s one of those you have to hold down the button for a while?” She did so, to no avail. “Urgh…well that was a dud. It’s broken, or out of battery, or something.”

“I guess that answers why they didn’t bother to take it from you.” Shuichi said with amusement. “Still, it was worth a shot.”

“Maybe there’s a charger in the warehouse I can use. Tojo said there were electronics in there- I’ll have to ask her when she’s done taking inventory.” Kaede said as she carefully returned it to her backpack, hunching over the bag awkwardly to prevent Shuichi from looking in.

“Anything else in there?” He asked conversationally, to which Kaede bit her lip in frustration.

“Just a spare vest and some playing cards.” She lied. She slung the bag back over her shoulders and stood up. The familiar weight was no longer comforting, but she smiled at Shuichi sweetly anyway. “Well, let’s check out the A/V room and this ‘Ryoma’ person, shall we?”

‘ _I…can figure out what this means later. For now I need to focus on the task at hand_.’

He nodded, and the two of them approached the door. As they did, Kaede could hear faint noise coming from within the room.

“Is that…music?” Shuichi pointed out. Sure enough, the soft melody of a piano was drifting out into the library.

“Seems like it. It’s beautiful…” Kaede whispered, entranced. Eager to get a clearer sound, she gently opened the door.

The A/V room was more like a personal lounge and mini-cinema. A huge plasma screen TV was mounted on the far wall, hooked up to an equally expensive looking combination video, DVD and CD player. In front of this setup was a coffee table surrounded by comfy looking sofas and armchairs, guarded by four large speakers for a surround-sound experience. 

Against the side walls were large cabinets, stocked with a wide variety of digital entertainment. There were four in total – the left wall shelves of various DVDs in one cabinet and old VHS videos in the other. The right wall had one for music CDs and one for video games, including several consoles that could be hooked up to the TV.

Someone was reclining on a sofa with their back to the door, listening to the melancholic piano coming from the speakers. Kaede could only just barely make out this persons presence by a glimpse of brown hair peeking over the edge of the couch- either they were slouching, or very short.

“Gymnopedie No. 1, by Erik Satie.” A deep, smooth voice addressed the two of them suddenly. Without even turning to look, this person had noticed their arrival. “A bittersweet melody if there ever was one…”

“It’s lovely.” Kaede said honestly. “But is this really the time to be listening to music?”

There was initially no response other than a non-committal grunt as the person stood up from the sofa…but still Kaede could only see the top of their head. The mystery was quickly solved as they walked around the furniture, stepping out into clear view.

The boy was short- absurdly short. Were it not for his deep voice just now, Kaede would have thought she was looking a child. Everything else about his appearance screamed ‘adult’ however. His hair was buzzed short like he was in the military, and he wore smart parts and a formal blazer and shirt. The shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way up and looked very ruffled, like he’d not ironed it in some time. He had a cigarette clutched between his lips as he stared at the two of them seriously.

“…My apologies, you’re right. I was investigating this room, and when I saw this song on the CD rack…” He murmured, looking contrite. “I couldn’t help but give it a listen, for old times sake.” Even as he spoke to her, Kaede felt like his empty, unfocused gaze was addressing someone or something else.

“I see…well, I’m Kaede Akamatsu…Ultimate Nothing. And this guy here is Shuichi Saihara!” She said enthusiastically, trying to lighten the rather gloomy atmosphere.

“Ultimate Entomologist.” Shuichi added helpfully.

“…Ryoma Hoshi. Ultimate Pianist.” Their new friend said listlessly, removing the cigarette from their mouth and exhaling. Kaede almost laughed when she noticed that no smoke came out, and realized it was just made of candy. “So…Ultimate Nothing, huh? Does that mean you have nothing to be proud of? Or are you the best at being nothing?”

‘ _I thought Angie said he was nice? Though, maybe this is his idea of small talk_?’

“Ehe, sorry, that was just a little joke.” Kaede said as she raised her hands in front of her placatingly. “I don’t actually remember my talent, or anything really except my name. Hard as it is to believe…”

Ryoma looked interested at that, running his eyes over her as if seeing her for the fist time. “So…you’ve got no past. That might be more of a blessing than you think. It’s a lot worse to have no future…”

“Wait.” Shuichi interjected, eyes widening. “You’re _that_ Ryoma Hoshi? The God of the Keys?”

“Tch…been a while since I heard that one.” Ryoma said, turning to gaze solemnly into space. “Sorry to disappoint you kid, but I haven’t touched a piano in years.”

“Uh…I feel like I’m missing something here…” Kaede said awkwardly, glancing between the two boys.

“Ryoma was competing in national music competitions since he was in elementary school.” Shuichi explained. “What’s more, they say that he’s so masterful with his playing, he can elicit any emotional response he desires from the audience…Making a joyful song sorrowful, or a sad song uplifting…he breathes new life into old music.”

‘ _He’s that good? He almost sounds superhuman_ …’ Kaede thought in shock. Ryoma however, seemed less than pleased with Shuichi’s assessment.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear. I already told you…I don’t play the piano anymore.” He said with a sigh. “Frankly, I was surprised the Ultimate Academy saw fit to invite me. I considered turning it down.”

“But…why? Why would you throw away such an amazing talent?” Kaede asked. “It’s clear you still enjoy music, otherwise you wouldn’t have been listening to that song when we came in.”

Ryoma flinched, but met her questioning look with a steely glare. “Look, Kaede was it? You’ve got your secrets, and I’ve got mine. I don’t want to discuss it any further.”

“Fine.” She retorted with a huff. “So…what can you tell us about your investigation? Anything useful?”

Ryoma nodded gratefully, relaxing his posture somewhat and gesturing at the cabinets. “Well, if nothing else we aren’t going to die of boredom. Along with that library, there’s enough media here to entertain ourselves with here for years. Quite a wide variety of genres, too.”

“Ooh…I just realized! Since I’ve lost my memory, all of these movies and shows and stuff will be brand new to me!” Kaede said excitedly.

“Ha! I suppose that’s one way to look at it.” Ryoma barked a laugh. “I’ll be careful not to reference even the really famous plot twists, then.”

Kaede smiled. It seemed Ryoma was actually quite agreeable, so long as you got past his moody exterior and didn’t mention the piano.

The three of them chatted for a while about movies, Kaede rifling through the shelves as Ryoma commented on the selection, recommending what he considered to be the best ones. Shuichi was still a bit hesitant, and a bit starstruck. But eventually he caved and joined them.

“Oh, this is that new superhero movie from America.” Shuichi said as he pulled a DVD with a flashy cover off the shelf. “Didn’t this only come out a month ago? I wouldn’t have thought it would be on DVD yet.”

“Well, whoever owns this place clearly has cash to burn.” Ryoma said with a shrug. “Maybe they got a copy of the film early direct from the studio?”

Shuichi frowned. “And fully translated? That takes even longer…”

“It’s just a movie, Shuichi. There are much bigger mysteries around here than that.” Ryoma said, dismissing it. “Speaking of, you guys haven’t checked out the dormitories yet, right?”

“No, not yet.” Kaede confirmed, also staring at the film in Shuichi’s hands. Something about it bothered her. Still, Ryoma was right- there were more important things to be concerned with.

“Well, I’m gonna head back to the food court for now. I hope someone finds a way to use those card readers soon- I’m starving.” Ryoma grumbled, and turned to head back into the library.

“We’ll come with you. Come on, Shuichi!” Kaede called for her investigative partner, who nodded and placed the movie back into it’s spot on the shelf.

‘ _Only four more people left to meet, and one place left to investigate. What happens after that is anybody’s guess…still, we’ve all got to do what we can_.’ Kaede nodded with determination and followed Ryoma through the door, Shuichi bringing up the rear of their odd little procession.

‘ _But…I won’t lie and say I’m not worried. Especially about that knife…why would I have that? Why would whoever kidnapped me let me keep it?_ ’ Kaede adjusted her backpack straps self-consciously. ‘ _Just…don’t think about it. For now, we have to stay positive_.’

‘ _We have to_.’

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter three! What did you all think? Sorry for the wait on this one, been busy with all sorts of stuff. I also went back and changed the naming conventions for the characters to how it is in the western release. That's the version I played and the manner in which I think of these characters, but I know thats not the most popular way in fanfiction so I tried to write it like that, but it honestly felt weird and I kept mixing up the first and last names in places.


	4. Day I: Final Introductions

The trio of students exited the double doors of the library, Ryoma taking the lead. Despite his small stature, he moved rather swiftly.

“I imagine most of the others have already returned to the food court.” He said in his deep baritone. “Come on, let’s go.”

With a nod, Kaede and Shuichi followed him. As they approached the corridor exit however, Kaede spotted a figure standing over the maintenance panel, running their hands over it.

“Ah, Keebo. Not satisified yet?” Ryoma grunted at the newcomer, who turned their head slightly to look.

Walking closer, Kaede saw that the individual was a boy draped in a long lab coat, with heavy grey gloves that looked comically oversized on his hands. His hair was stark white and very voluminous, a long ahoge trailing off the top much like her own. He had some kind of tattoos on his face, of black lines running down vertically from his eyes. A leather bag sat next to him on the floor, which was overflowing with things like pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and all manner of other tools.

“Hm? Oh, it’s you Ryoma. And who are these two?” He spoke distractedly, still investigating the panel.

“Hello!” Kaede said before Ryoma could do introductions on their behalf. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu. The uh, amnesiac girl. And you’re Keebo, right?”

Keebo frowned at her. “…That is highly illogical. Kokichi mentioned there was a student here with total amnesia, but I assumed it was another one of his childish fantasies.”

“Well I can confirm he wasn’t lying. Er, about that at least.” Kaede added sheepishly. Anxious to change the topic, she pointed at the wall panel. “So, what were you doing with that? Also, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I was trying to see if I could get it to open. However, brute forcing it with a tool seems to be ineffective. Whoever designed it certainly knew what they were doing.” He explained. He stood rather stiffly at he did so, and spoke in a very stilted, clinical tone.

‘ _Guess he’s not very used to talking with others. He’s even worse than Shuichi_ …’ Kaede thought with sympathy.

“…if I had some welding equipment or an electric saw, I could open it. However, that might damage whatever is contained inside. Regardless, the warehouse didn’t contain anything like that.” Keebo continued explaining, putting his chin in his hand with a look of deep concentration. “In short, either we must find the card key, or a manner of constructing our own card key. But that in itself would require me to have a dedicated workstation…”

“You can create card keys?” Shuichi asked in interest, which seemed to startle the scientist.

“But of course!” He protested, sounding rather affronted. “Well…as I said, _with_ the proper equipment and facilities, yes. But something as fundamental as that, I was taught before I even knew how to ride a bike!”

“It took us forever to get him to introduce himself too, so I’ll just do it for him.” Ryoma said with a dark chuckle. “This guy is Keebo Idabashi, the Ultimate Inventor. I hadn’t heard of him, but I _had_ heard of some of his products. You ever use those eyedrop contact lenses?”

“No, but I know of them,” Shuichi said, his eyes widening. “Doesn’t repeated use actually gradually improve your eyesight even when you aren’t wearing them? That was you?”

“Yes, one of my earlier designs.” Keebo admitted, looking flushed. “Looking back, it could have been improved in so many ways…it is an embarrassment compared to my current standards.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. It sounds like it was pretty impressive-“ Kaede began to console him, only to see him scowl deeply.

“No, I must be hard on myself!” He said with venom. “Hardship is the mother of invention. Even if perfection is impossible, striving for perfection allows us to achieve greatness. So I must aim for perfection in all things. It’s the only way to make a better world.”

“A…better world?” Kaede asked in confusion, and a little annoyance at being cut off.

“From an early age, I was tutored by the great Professor Idabashi, my father.” Keebo explained as if he was giving a lecture. “The most important lesson I learned is that invention exists because problems in the world exist. If no one ever had no use of their legs, we would not have wheelchairs. If no one ever needed to avoid eating raw food, we would not have ovens. Everything I design, I design because it must contribute to improving society.”

“Which is why,” He finished his spiel with a huff as he turned back to the panel. “An unintuitive, user-unfriendly device such as this is insulting, no matter the quality of the craftsmanship.”

“Hrm. I’d already forgot how much you liked to ramble.” Ryoma said pointedly, rubbing at the back of his head.

“Heh. Well, it’s admirable in it’s own way...sort of.” Kaede said with a grin. ‘ _He’s eccentric, and kind of preachy, but it’s clear he’s driven and has his heart in the right place._ ’ She nudged Shuichi with her elbow slightly. “Hey, Shuichi? Do you think we should host a debate match between Angie and Keebo here?”

“Please, don’t joke about that.” Shuichi said with horror.

“Wait.” Keebo said, peering at Shuichi intently. “You wouldn’t happen to be Shuichi Saihara, would you? The Ultimate Entomologist?”

“Uh, yes, that’s me.” Shuichi replied with surprise.

“Splendid!” Keebo said with a laugh, smiling for the first time. “I’m a big fan of your work on genetically engineered spiders. I’m actually using some of their special silk to develop a range of bullet-proof casual clothing.”

“R-really? I’m honored…” Shuichi said with a fierce blush, reaching up to grab his hat nervously. “But ah, it wasn’t really anything that amazing…”

“You should learn to accept praise when you hear it, kid.” Ryoma scolded. “To take pride in your work…” He trailed off and then sighed. “No, never mind. That kind of advice is hypocritical coming from someone like me.”

“You’re all hopeless.” Kaede said, shaking her head and laughing. “Anyways, we still need to check out the dorms.”

“Yes, of course.” Keebo said with a nod, though he looked a bit puzzled as to what Kaede found so funny. “I’ll be in the food court with everyone else shortly.”

Waving goodbye to the odd scientist, the three students stepped out into the main plaza once again. This time, there were more people at the tables around the base of the statue than before.

‘ _Tsumugi, Himiko, Tojo_ …’ Kaede began counting them all off in her head. ‘ _Kokichi, Gonta, Rantaro, Miu, Katio, and Angie. They’re all there_ …’

Indeed, the large group was gathered there, split across two tables.  Kokichi sat at the head of one, his arms spread wide and an even wider grin on his face as he was telling some story to a captive audience of Gonta, Angie, and Miu.  Gonta seemed completely absorbed in it, Angie had a polite smile, and Miu kept scoffing and interjecting with some presumably rude criticism.

On the other table, Kaito had apparently got ahold of some sketch paper and pencils and was doodling away, tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly. Tojo hovered just over his shoulder, looking at his work with interest. Rantaro sat across from them, shuffling a deck of playing cards much like the one in Kaede’s backpack. Tsumugi stood at attention in the middle of both tables, looking anxious for something to do. And finally, Himiko was stood far away from the others, leaned up against the food counters with her arms crossed and her head bowed low.

“Hm…” Kaede felt her heart lift at the scene. “Some of us are a bit prickly, but overall everyone seems to getting along well.” She placed her hand over her chest and smiled softly. “…I’m glad.”

“Yeah. Seems like you got good friends.” Ryoma said wistfully. “That’s a valuable thing to have.”

“They’re your friends too, Ryoma.” Shuichi insisted, looking at the short piano player with sympathy.

“Hm…maybe.” Ryoma said non-committally. “Anyways, I’ll see you two later. Hopefully we can figure out how to get some food.” And with that, he set off to join the group of Ultimate students.

 “Well Kaede, let’s go.” Shuichi said, still looking at Ryoma’s retreating back with a sorrowful expression.

“Oh? Taking the lead this time, Shuichi?” She teased, to which he cracked a smile. The two of them turned right, and headed toward the final corridor available.

Unlike the side corridors, it had no strangely colored walls or lights, using instead the stark white like that of the classroom corridor. There was also no panel on the wall. The lighting was still uncomfortably bright, however.

Walking down the hallway, there were a wide number of doors on either side, each with a plate on the front like the specialist rooms, but instead of a cartoon representation of a talent, there were little pixel art prints of each of the students.

“Oh, that’s cute. I guess that’s to let us know which room is who’s.” Kaede said.

“Yeah…but it also means, they definitely plan for us to stay here for a while, which is pretty unnerving.” Shuichi added.

“True.” Kaede admitted with a frown. Looking closer, she saw that while each door also had a card reader, none of them were currently locked. In fact, each room’s door was slightly ajar. Kaede found her own room, which was the fourth one down the hall on the left hand side, and pushed it open to take a peek.

It looked like a fairly comfortable place to stay, but much like the rest of the school, rather plain and lacking in decoration. The walls were a light pink, and most of the furniture was white. There was a queen sized bed, a desk with a lamp, a chest of drawers and wardrobe, and a wastebin.

Stepping into the room fully, she noticed a sliding door to her left. Walking over and opening it, Kaede found herself looking at an en-suite bathroom, with a fancy looking shower, sink and toilet. A shelf filled with various health and beauty products was mounted into the wall next to the sink.

“Well, at the very least we’ll be living in comfort, even if it’s against our will.” Shuichi’s voice suddenly said behind her, causing her to jump.

“Jeez, sneak up on a girl why don’t you?” She said, turning around. “Though it’s rather totalitarian in looks, isn’t it? I’d definitely want to be able to put up some posters at least.”

“Yeah, I checked in my room as well.” Shuichi said, looking away awkwardly. “It’s basically identical, except the walls are blue instead of pink.”

“Yes, it’s very…stereotypical if you ask me. Some of us girls might want blue rooms!” Came a new voice. Startled, the two of them turned to look behind them.

Leaning up against the side of the wardrobe was a tall girl who looked quite toned- in fact her rather impressive abs and arms were on full display thanks to the dusky brown cropped and sleeveless jacket she was wearing. Her black hair was tied back into a ponytail with an odd hair accessory that looked like a green windmill, and her lower half was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and some heavy duty hiking boots. Kaede also noticed there was a long, jagged scar across her stomach.

All in she was a very intimidating girl, arms folded across her chest and eyeing the two of them with a wariness in her eyes that belied her cheerful tone.

Or more specifically, she seemed to be eyeing _Shuichi_ with wariness.

“Um…hello.” Kaede said nervously. “Er, how long have you been standing there?”

The stranger’s gaze slid over to Kaede upon being addressed, and her eyes went from cool suspicion to sparkles in an instant. “Ahhhhh!” She suddenly yelled at enormous volume, waving a hand in front of herself as if to fight off something.

“Huh?! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Kaede said in concern as she rushed over, stopping just shy of the girls flailing hand.

“…Cute…you are just too cute!” She said with a flushed, goofy grin.

“…Eh?” Whatever Kaede had expected the problem to be, it wasn’t that.

“Well, all girls are lovely and cute by default.” The newcomer explained happily. “But all the girls here are simply beautiful! Especially Himiko! Don’t you think she’s just adorable?”

“Er…I guess? She’s a bit of a grump, though.” Kaede said, thinking back to the detective’s standoffish behavior.

_‘Wait, why are we suddenly comparing the girls here? What is this conversation?!’_

“Oh, I’m sure she’s just a little shy. But I bet I can get her to open up her heart!” The girl said with bravado, putting her fists together in a bump.

“Um…sorry to interrupt the…girl talk, but who exactly are you?” Shuichi asked, still hovering in the bathroom doorframe.

When Shuichi addressed her, the girl’s whole demeanor suddenly changed. Her cocky grin disappeared, and her mouth twisted into…something. Kaede wasn’t sure whether it was a scowl of anger, a sneer of disdain, or a frown of sadness. Whatever it was, she was definitely not as pleased to speak to Shuichi as to Kaede.

“…Boys and men must earn my trust or respect.” She said flatly. “And so far, you have neither.” Despite her harsh comment, her face softened. “Though to be fair, you’re probably not as bad as some of the males here…so far. To answer your question, my name is Tenko Chabashira- the Ultimate Adventurer.”

Kaede was intrigued by Tenko’s talent, but first, she felt a swell of annoyance. “Hey, don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? How can you just judge all boys like that before you’ve even met them? Shuichi’s nice!”

“Kaede…it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Shuichi mumbled, looking away.

“It’s not fine! You can’t just let her walk all over you!” She yelled in frustration.

Tenko simply watched the exchange with a blank expression before sighing. “Kaede…you’re the one who has amnesia, right?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Kaede responded hotly, to which Tenko only shook her head sadly.

“Everything. It means you have no memories of men. You have no experience of their cruelty. I’m quite jealous, actually.” She pointed over at Shuichi. “Perhaps you are correct, and Shuichi is a very nice person. But can you really be sure? It’s better to assume the worst of men, not the best…even if you’re wrong, it’s too big a risk to take until you have a clearer picture.”

“But women can be cruel too.” Kaede countered. “Women can hide their intentions just as much. Yes, maybe men are more _likely_ to be that way, but by your logic, it’s not worth it to trust anybody.”

Tenko’s face darkened. “And is that wrong?”

“Huh?” Yet again, Kaede felt herself at a loss for words.

“I don’t _want_ to distrust men. I don’t _want_ to distrust anyone. But when you’ve been burned once, you learn not to go near fire a second time…” Tenko turned away from them, her ponytail swinging behind her. “…Look, you aren’t going to change my mind, so can we stop talking about this please?”

“Um…alright, for now. But don’t think that’s the end of it!” Kaede huffed. “Moving on…what’s your talent all about?”

Tenko grinned again, her sullen expression vanishing in the blink of an eye. “Well, I’ve travelled all over the world, and seen all sorts of amazing things! Have you ever been to Antartica? Or Peru?”

“Can’t say that I have…” Kaede said cautiously. ‘ _Her mood changes as much as Kokichi’s_ …’

“Ohh, you have to! I could take you someday, after we get out of here.” Tenko gushed, bouncing back on forth on her feet. “Or the Himalayas!”

“So, you just…travel a lot? And that makes you an Ultimate?” Kaede asked, wincing as she realized how rude that sounded. She didn’t want to immediately start another argument.

Tenko hesitated. “Well…I don’t know how it happens, but I always kind of end up…accidently getting involved in stuff where ever I go.”

“Stuff?” Shuichi spoke up for the first time in a while. “Like what?”

Her eyes flickered to him coolly, but she answered him all the same. “Well…this one time when I was in a remote village near the Bering Strait, there was an outbreak of diphtheria, and the only medicine was all the way over in Anchorage, miles away. So I had to use a sled and huskies to travel across the whole state and back in a blizzard to help the children.”

“…What.” Kaede deadpanned.

If Tenko noticed her disbelief, she didn’t comment on it, instead just nodding. “Mm. And this other time, when I was in Cairo, I stumbled across this human trafficking ring, so I destroyed it.”

“…Destroyed it?!” Shuichi said in shock.

“…And this one time, I almost got eaten by sharks while diving at the Great Barrier Reef…or that time I was climbing Everest, and there was an attempted sabotage by a rival team that nearly killed us in an avalanche…or that whole _mess_ with the Kuzuryu clan…”

“That…seems like a lot.” Kaede said plainly, not sure what to think.

Tenko just shrugged. “Like I said, I didn’t really plan on any of that stuff, so it’s not like I intended to be an Ultimate. If anything, it’s just a string of bad luck rather than skill.”

‘ _So modest after such outrageous claims…Could she actually be telling the truth?_ ’

Tenko sighed again, heading towards the door and gripping the handle. “By the way, these doors were all ajar when we discovered them, but I think they might lock automatically when closed.”

“Oh…I see.” Kaede said numbly, still reeling from the bizarre flow of conversation. “So until we find that card key, we shouldn’t close them all the way?”

“Yeah, seems so.” Tenko seemed hesitant to leave, glancing back behind her at the two of them. “…Shuichi?”

‘ _Huh_?’ Kaede blinked. ‘ _What does she want from him now? Hasn’t she bullied him enough_?’

“…Yeah, Tenko?” The dark haired boy responded nervously.

Tenko was biting her lower lip, and hovered in the doorframe for a few agonizing seconds.  Finally, she spoke. “…The rooms appear to be organized by gender. Girls on the left, and boys on the right. You should remember that.”

And with that, she left the room, careful to only partially close the door behind her.

“…What the hell was all that about?” Kaede said in confusion, turning to Shuichi. He seemed to be lost in thought, still staring at the spot Tenko had just been. “….Shuichi? You okay?”

“Hm?” He flinched, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “…Yeah, I’m alright. Shall we go?”

“Um…alright, but only if you’re sure you’re really okay…” She said, walking over and putting her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. “She was pretty harsh on-“

“Kaede, really. It’s fine.” Shuichi said firmly, giving her a smile. “Come on, let’s go.”

He wriggled out from under her hand, and hurriedly left the room. She watched him go, her heart sinking.

‘ _Why do I feel like there’s something I’ve totally missed here_?’

“S-Shuichi, wait-up!” She yelled after him, dashing for the door and into the hallway. “I was just-” Her speech was interrupted as she collided with something in the hallway, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flat on her butt on the cold floor.

“Ouch…” Kaede whined, spots dancing in her vision. “What was that…?”

“You should be more careful. Didn’t your parents teach you to look both ways before crossing the street?” Came the voice of an annoyed-sounding girl. Slowly, Kaede’s sight returned to her, and she saw a person also knocked to the ground across from her.

Kaede’s ‘victim’ had black hair in a chin length bob cut, framing a very angular face from which a set of blood red eyes were glaring at Kaede. She was wearing a long sleeved baggy shirt with a swirling galaxy print, along with a pleated purple skirt, pale blue tights and a pair of plain black sneakers.

“Ah…sorry! I’m so sorry!” Kaede felt like dirt. It seemed like the past five minutes or so, all she could do was mess up.

The girl sighed, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. “…It’s fine. I think you got bruised more than I did.” She offered a hand out, which Kaede gladly took, wincing as she was helped to her feet.

“Thanks…” Kaede began sheepishly. “Um-“

“Maki Harukawa. Ultimate Astronaut.” The girl said suddenly.

“Huh?”

Maki sighed, sounded bored. “…My name and talent. You were going to ask shortly, so I figured I’d save you the trouble.”

“O-oh, right.” Kaede glanced around as she kept talking to Maki. ‘ _Where the hell is Shuichi_?’ “Well, my n-“

“…Kaede Akamatsu. You have amnesia and cannot recall your talent, assuming you have one.” Maki said bluntly once again, examining her nails. “…There, we’re introduced. Can I go now?”

And without waiting for an answer, Maki turned and walked back the way she came, leaving only a nonplussed amnesiac standing around uselessly in an empty corridor.

‘ _Well, that was…brief. I learned basically nothing about her. Yet another person who isn’t exactly a social butterfly_ …’ Kaede thought as she looked around, trying to find Shuichi. It was then that she noticed a seventeeth door at the very end of the dormitory hallway, which was labelled ‘Laundry Room’.

‘ _Did he go in here_?’ She wondered, stepping towards it. As she did so, she could hear his muffled voice from inside.

‘ _I can’t quite make out what he’s saying, but it seems he’s talking to someone. But whoever that person is, they aren’t talking back._ ’

Kaede pushed open the door and stepped inside. It looked fairly standard for a laundry room- one wall was entirely taken up by a row of washing machines, and several clothes lines for drying were strung across the ceiling. A simple table and chairs was placed in the middle of the room, and there was a large stack of magazines for one to occupy their time with while waiting for their laundry. The magazine on top of the pile was some kind of fashion weekly, with a bold splash cover of a pretty blonde girl smirking at the camera.

Shuichi was indeed in here, and he wasn’t alone. Sitting in one of the chairs was a tall, oddly dressed person who Kaede would guess to be female, but she wasn’t sure. They wore a loose fitting white keikogi over a chest that seemed to be bare other than being tightly wrapped with bandages. Their forearms and legs were heavily bandaged as well, even their feet, which were not covered with shoes. They had long black hair that reached their waist, and oddest of all, their mouth, nose and neck were covered entirely with a black face mask.

Upon her arrival, both Shuichi and this person turned to look at her. “Ah, Kaede!” Shuichi said hurriedly, sounding relieved. “I was wondering where you were.”

“Hey.” She replied, walking up to him. “I bumped into someone in the hall, so I was…talking to them.” She didn’t add that it was a brief, embarrassing conversation.

Shuichi chuckled. “I guess I’ve had a similar experience. This here-“ He gestured to the masked individual, who so far had simply sat there and observed her. “Is Korekiyo Shinguchi. He’s the Ultimate Aikido Master.”

‘ _Oh, guess I was off on his gender. I shouldn’t judge by appearance so much…that said, I’m not surprised by his talent, his whole outfit screams ‘martial arts’_.’

“Nice to meet you, Korekiyo.” Kaede said politely, silently praying for a more positive interaction than her last two. However, Korekiyo simply gazed at her silently, before looking at Shuichi and moving his hands in a series of motions. They almost looked like…

“Right, of course. I’ll explain it to her.” Shuichi said to Korekiyo, then turned to Kaede. “Korekiyo here is mute, so he can only communicate by either written word or sign language. Apparently, he’s taken a vow of silence in tandem with training to master his body.”

“Oh, I see…that’s pretty intense.” Kaede replied, then her eyes widened as a thought struck her. “Wait, you know sign language Shuichi?”

“Ah, bits and pieces of it. I’m not an expert.” He answered with a blush. “I had a friend in elementary school who was deaf, so I learned it for her.”

“Aw, that’s sweet. You really are a cool guy, Shuichi.” She said with a grin, to which he gave a weak smile in response. She then turned to Korekiyo. “So um, Korekiyo…if it’s alright with you, do you mind if I ask you a few questions, with Shuichi as our go-between?”

Korekiyo made a short motion, at which Shuichi nodded.

“Yeah, he says that’s fine.”

“Okay then. First of all…do you know anything about our situation?” The response to this question took quite some time for Korekiyo to sign, with Shuichi paying close attention and nodding affirmingly several times as Kaede waited patiently.

Eventually, Shuichi gave his translation. “He says that he knows about as much as we do- we are trapped in some unknown building, with accommodations and supplies to last us for a long time, with some facilities mysteriously blocked off.” He took a breath. “One thing he did notice however, is that there aren’t any windows anywhere except in the classrooms, and even those are blocked with shutters.”

“Oh yeah, that’s true.” Kaede agreed, thinking back to when she first woke up. “That’s a pretty weird design choice, isn’t it? Like, this place was specifically designed to limit our view of the outside.” Shaking her head to clear away that disturbing thought, she moved on. “Okay, next question…what do you make of everyone else here?”

Again, Korekiyo signed his response, and Shuichi relayed the information.

“For the most part, everyone seems friendly, if odd in their own ways. Apparently Tenko and Kokichi also know sign language.”

‘ _Tenko and Kokichi? Hm…I wouldn’t have guessed, but it makes sense. Tenko travels all over the world, so she must interact with all sorts of people. And Kokichi looks after children, some of which might have disabilities to take into account_.’

“Miu however, said some quite rude things about his muteness.” Shuichi went on to say. “He says that she is a, ah…’vile, disgusting woman’. His words, not mine.”

Kaede shook her head. “Normally, I’d be angry at anyone calling a girl that…but having spoken to her, I can’t deny it’s not exactly inaccurate.” She thought for a moment, then asked another question. “So…how about yourself, Korekiyo? What got you into Aikido? I don’t know that much about it, other than it being a martial art.”

Korekiyo nodded, explaining with his bandaged hands once more.

“He and his sister grew up in a temple from a young age after their parents passed away. The monks there were their family, and taught them how to fight to protect themselves if necessary. They chose Aikido as it is an ideal self-defense art, relying on using your opponents strength against them. At age 11, they started competing in local tournaments as a way to further their skills…then it was national tournaments, and then international…”

“Wow…that’s incredible.” Kaede cooed. “Two siblings taking on the world by storm, it’s like something from an old legend!”

It was hard to tell under the mask, but by the slight upward creases in the fabric and the crinkling of his eyes, it seemed Korekiyo was smiling.

“Okay, one last question.” Kaede said, clasping her hands together excitedly. “…What’s with the mask? Is it symbolic of your vow of silence?”

Korekiyo told Shuichi his answer, and Shuichi went white as a sheet, staring at the martial arts master with his jaw hanging open.

“…Well? What did he say?” Kaede pestered him. “I wanna know!”

“He…he says…” Shuichi swallowed audibly. “The mask is for the benefit of other people, so they don’t see that his tongue has been cut out.”

“…Oh.” All of that enthusiasm for knowledge drained out of Kaede like water into a drain. “T-that’s…a pretty intense vow…”

* ** _DING DONG DING_** *

The three of them were saved from the awkward cliffhanger of their conversation as a bell chimed loudly in the room, sounding like it was being played over a PA system.

“What was that? It sounded like…a school bell?” Shuichi said with a frown, looking around for the source. Where-ever the speaker systems were, they were well hidden.

And then, it began.

“ ** _Ahem…testing, testing. Mic check, one two, mic check one two. Can everybody hear me_**?” A playful, high pitched voice like that of a cartoon character spoke up on the announcement system, with a slight hint of static to their voice. “ ** _Good, it seems all of you wonderful, talented students can hear me! Now, it’s time for the main event. All students, please gather at the food court for the entrance ceremony. I’ll be waiting…puhuhuhu_** …”

With a gleeful chuckle, the voice went silent. A voice that sounded so innocent, so cute…

A voice that dripped with barely restrained malice, to Kaede’s ears.

“W-what? Who was that?” She said with alarm. “The person who trapped us here?”

“It would seem like it.” Shuichi said grimly, his face stony. “They…they said to go to the food court, right? I don’t like this…”

“Me either.” Kaede agreed. “But we probably can’t afford to anger them by disobeying…at this point, at least. And that’s where everyone agreed to meet anyway, so…”

Korekiyo rose from his seat with the gracefulness of a cat, and jerked his head toward the laundry room door.

“…Right. We can’t waste time on ‘what if’s right now.” Kaede took a deep breath, clutched at her backpack straps, and stared forward with determination. “We have to move forward and face what’s ahead, no matter how scary it is. Right, Shuichi?”

“Right…” Her friend agreed, but he still looked quite pale, gripping one of his bug cages tightly again.

Her eyes softened, and she extended her hand to him. “Hey…do you trust me?”

“Of course I do!” He responded quickly. “I trust you, Kaede. I know we’ve only know each an hour or two, but…you’re probably my best friend right now.”

He heart ached at that. Did he not have a best friend before meeting her? “Then trust me when I say that…I think it’s all going to be okay. We’ll figure out what’s going on, and get out here. Together.”

He still looked uncertain, but he nodded regardless. “Yeah…I hope so too.” He grasped her offered hand, and Kaede politely ignored how clammy it was. She turned to the door once again.

“Let’s go.”

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, every last student introduced. On an unrelated here, it's been subzero temperatures where I am for like a week PLUS I've had no wifi except when mooching off a friend, so that's fun. As always, likes and comments are appreciated <3


	5. Day I: Monokuma

When they arrived back at the food court, the previously peaceful scene had been shattered.

Everyone was on their feet now, and Kaede could hear them arguing, though she couldn’t make out the words until she moved closer. There was no sign of the owner of the mysterious voice.

Gritting her teeth, she kept walking.

“-seems like whoever this guy his, he’s afraid to show his face in person.” Kaito was saying cockily, fists raised. “Come on, you told us to come here, now show yourself, coward! Or are you afraid I’ll sock you one?”

“…Tch. Typical male behavior, resorting to  threats of violence.” Tenko sniffed disdainfully.

“Well, have you got a better plan?” He said, turning to her angrily.

She opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off by Tsumugi stepping between them. “Please, we shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves right now!”

“Tsumugi’s right.” Kaede spoke out as she approached, causing the group to turn towards her, Shuichi and Korekiyo. “I know the situation looks bad, but working together is in everyone’s best interests.”

“Sounds as good a plan as any to me.” Ryoma said with a drag of his fake cigarette.

“Heh, what could a midget like you possibly have to contribute to a group effort? You gonna be a stepstool for us? Haha!” Miu laughed boisterously, only to flinch when the pianist turned his stony glare on her. “I-it was just a joke…I was trying to lighten the mood…”

“Now _that’s_ a lie if ever heard one.” Kokichi said with a sigh. “You know Miu, you really shouldn’t dish it out if you can’t take it yourself…”

“Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Angie added, looking at Miu with what Kaede could only describe as a politely forced smile.

“…Isn’t that from the Bible?” Tojo seemed confused, looking at Angie.

“The fuck does a robot care about the Bible?!” Miu shouted in protest.

‘ _Guess Miu’s been getting under everyone’s skin…that could be a problem down the road_ …’

“…Moving on from that nonsense.” Kaede jumped as she heard Maki speak up. The astronaut’s face seemed completely blank of emotion as she spoke to the group. “This is everyone, right? Yet there’s no sign of our kidnapper…”

“Perhaps our resident Ultimate Detective has some valuable insights for us?” Keebo suggested as he pointed at Himiko, who was still in the same position as when Kaede was last here- leaned up against the food counter, arms crossed and head bowed.

“Ah, yes!” Tenko jumped on the opportunity. “Himiko will know what to do! Right, Himiko?”

Himiko said nothing, not moving from her position.

“…Hm? What happened to her?” Gonta said in confusion.

“H-Himiko?” Tenko asked nervously as she approached the short girl, and gently tapped her on the shoulder.

“…Nyeeeeh…five more minutes, Chief Prosecutor…” Himiko muttered as her head tipped to the side, revealing her closed eyes and slightly drooling mouth.

“…Seems she’s been asleep this whole time.” Rantaro chuckled in amusement.

“…While standing up? That’s kind of impressive…” Shuichi noted.

“Himiko, wake up!” Tenko gripped the redheaded sleuth by the shoulders and shook her fiercely.

“-Wah?!…HEY!” Himiko was definitely awake now, and glaring at a nervously grinning Tenko. “…I do all my best problem solving when I’m napping. I hope you had a good reason for waking me up…”

“…I’m not sure that’s an actual deductive technique..” Tsumugi attempted to point out.

“Ah, well, it’s just…” Tenko was poking her fingers together nervously. “The kidnapper called us all here but hasn’t shown up yet, so we were wondering what advice you could give us?”

“Hmm…a demand from the kidnapper, huh?” Himiko seemed to become more alert at that, standing up a little straighter from her slouch. “Well, first of all-“

“ ** _Hold that thought, Miss Marple_**!” Everyone tensed as the voice from the speakers finally spoke up again. “ ** _As It happens, I was waiting for you! Now that everyone is finally here, and especially now that everyone here is actually conscious, we can begin!_** ”

The lights in the vast hall dimmed, and in the darkness the red eye of the giant bear statue seemed to glow with a sinister light, drawing everyone’s eyes to it. Squinting her eyes, Kaede could almost make out…

“T-there’s something moving up there!” Miu yelled. Sure enough, there was a vague silhouette framed against the eye, though it didn’t look much like a person.

“ ** _Geronimo!_** ” The voice yelled, and the object jumped off the statue and into the air, plummeting toward the group of students at high velocity.  Before any of them could even think to react, a parachute with a split black and white pattern deployed behind it, slowing its descent.

The object slowly descended into view, revealing…a miniature version of the cartoonish bear statue. However this one was clearly not made of stone, and moved in a much more lifelike manner, wriggling in the parachute harness as if alive.

“ ** _Phew…what a rush! Is this why so many youth are reckless thrillseekers_**?” It said in its high pitched voice as it finally landed in front of the dumbstruck students. “ ** _Now, onto the opening ceremony! Are all my lovely new students settling in comfortably?_** ”

“…Um…” Kaede’s flabbergasted response was the only noise for a few brief moments. Then, all hell broke loose.

“What the FUCK is that? Some shitty mascot?” Miu yelled, staring at the bear with bugged out eyes.

“ ** _How rude_**!” It responded, puffing out its chest, causing the tight fitting parachute harness to pop off. “ ** _I’ll have you know, my popularity rating went up by 14% this last quarter!_** ”

“H-how the hell is there a talking bear?! What the shit?!” Kaito seemed much less bravado filled than before.

“Calm down. If I had to guess, it is some kind of animatronic or robot. Most likely remote controlled.” Keebo attempted to assuage the artist’s fears.

“O-oh. Right, well. I knew that!”

“Heh, nice save. I thought you were gonna punch whoever showed their face?” Ryoma pointed out, to which Kaito grit his teeth.

“Can we stop ribbing on me and focus on whatever the hell this thing is?” He said defensively, before turning to the bear. “Robot or stuffed toy or whatever…are you the one who’s kidnapped us?”

“ ** _Kidnapped? Oh, that’s quite a strong word. There’s been no kidnapping here_**!” It said with a chuckle. “ ** _After all, this is the Ultimate Academy, and you all came here of your own free will, didn’t you? Don’t blame your headmaster if it wasn’t quite what you were expecting_**!”

“…This is the Ultimate Academy?” Tojo asked with a frown. “It doesn’t match any of the descriptions I have in my databanks…”

“And what’s this about you being our ‘headmaster’?” Angie asked, though she seemed more curious than concerned by the alarming events unfolding in front of her.

“ ** _I am Monokuma, the Headmaster of the Ultimate Academy_**!” The bear said, bowing with as much flourish as it could muster with its stubby paws. “ ** _I look forward to working with you new students on a successful, fulfilling school life_**.”

“Enough with the act, you clearly want something else from us! So, what is it?” Tenko grunted angrily as she balled her hands into trembling fists.

“ ** _Oh, it’s no act! From the bottom of my cotton heart, I want all of you to enjoy your school life here_**.” Monokuma said earnestly. “ ** _So long as you all comply by the school rules, there shouldn’t be any reason for you to worry_**.”

“So, all we have to do is just…study and live together? That’s your only demand?” Rantaro asked with interest, arms folded under his cape.

“Hmm…as far as kidnappings go, this is the weirdest one I’ve ever come across.” Himiko added.

“If you want us to live here peacefully, why are some of the rooms and facilities blocked off? Like the food?” Maki asked with suspicion.

Monokuma wasn’t phased however, waving his paw dismissively. “ ** _Oh, you’ll get access to those soon enough. Right after this ceremony closes, in fact! It’s just, there are some formalities to go over first. Legal disclaimers, a few explanations, that sort of thing. And then you can all be on your happy way!_** ”

Everyone glanced at each other, uncertain. This wasn’t at all what any of them had been expecting.

“This is…still all very strange and concerning.” Kaede spoke up, all heads turning to her. “But if this ‘Monokuma’ really is telling the truth, it seems we aren’t in any danger…”

“I’m not comfortable with the ‘if’ or ‘it seems’ in that sentence.” Rantaro added, shifting on his feet in agitation.

“Perhaps for now, we should just listen to our host’s explanation?” Tsumugi offered diplomatically.

“ ** _Are you done with the chit-chat_**?” Monokuma said, tilting its head and raising a paw to its mouth cutely. “ ** _I’m trying to give a speech here! Ahem…as I was saying, you will all live here and study harmoniously. Specifically, the Academy desires for you to refine and push your talents to new heights. That’s where the Ultimate Talent Labs come in!_** ”

Monokuma spread his paws wide, effectively pointing at both the red and green corridors. “ ** _We already have some of them set up; labs for the Ultimate Entomologist, Tennis Pro, Artist and Maid are on the first floor, and will open after this little ceremony. There are more labs on the higher floors- one for each of you! We’re still setting up a few things though, so please be patient!_** ”

Kaede blinked as she was struck by a sudden thought. ‘ _If I can find my corresponding lab, I’ll know what my talent is_ …’

 “ ** _Now, the Academy mandates that by the end of your stay here, you will be much improved in the use of your talent_**.” Monokuma continued to exposition. “ ** _Every school requires that you have a passing grade, after all! Though you’ll find this deadline is rather ah, lenient_**.”

“What does that mean?” Himiko said, gazing at the bear with narrowed eyes. “How long is our ‘stay’?”

At this question, Monokuma’s right side seemed to grin even more darkly, red eye flashing. “ ** _Puhuhu…the end date for your studies? There isn’t one. You’ll all be here until the day you die. That’s the task the Academy has set for you_**.”

The silence after this statement hung in the air uncomfortably for several agonizing seconds. And then…

“Live here…forever?! Unacceptable!” Keebo yelled, raising his heavy gloves high and his ahoge pointing straight up in shock.

“Is this some kind of sick joke? You’re joking, right?” Miu asked desperately, sweating and looking on the verge of tears.

“…And so the penny drops.” Kokichi muttered, seemingly unsurprised. “Obviously it wasn’t going to be that simple…”

“What is it that you get out of this?” Himiko ignored the reactions of shock and outrage around her, focusing in on Monokuma. “Seems like a lot of trouble to gather us all here for that, nyeh.”

“S-she’s right!” Kaito said, his fists clenched and his body shaking with rage. “This doesn’t benefit you in any way, so just let us go!”

The bear just smiled and laughed softly, holding up its paws to cover its mouth, as if trying to hold back a secret it was desperate to spill.

Kaede watched all of this chaos unfold in silence, feeling her stomach twist and churn sickly. She didn’t know why, but…she knew what Monokuma would say next.

“K-Kaede…what do we do?” Shuichi whispered to her feverishly. She wanted to reach out, to tell him it would be okay. But her body felt frozen in place, staring forward at their cartoonish headmaster.

 “ ** _Oh, that certainly got you all in a tizzy, didn’t it? Well, there’s no need to worry. There is a way for you to check out early and leave this place._** ”

“There is?” Tsumugi looked hopeful. “Please, tell us! I can’t stay here forever, I have so much I need to do!”

“ ** _It’s simple. All you have to do_** …” Monokuma explained sweetly, lovingly. “… ** _Is kill one of your fellow classmates_**!”

Kaede closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath even as the screams and shouts of horror unfolded around her, like an eye in a storm. The image of the knife sitting innocently in her backpack flashed into her mind.

“W-what did he just say?! Kill?” Kaito yelled in alarm.

“…Commit murder, or we can’t leave?” Ryoma’s seemed almost darkly amused. “…Hm, usually the prison comes _after_ the murder...”

“If this is some kind of sick joke, I’m not laughing.” Rantaro seethed through gritted teeth.

“I-it has to be. A joke, a prank, a dream! It’s ludicrous!” Keebo was full on panicking, his breath coming in wheezing gasps.

Something seemed to flip in Tsumugi’s demeanor at that as she rushed over to the inventor. “Keebo, breathe! You need to calm down, sir!” With surprising strength, she wrapped her arms around him and held him, rubbing and patting at his back. He struggled briefly, but then went limp, with only a dazed and broken expression on his face.

“Illogical…it’s completely illogical…” He muttered, lost in his own world. Tsumugi looked around at the others grimly and shook her head.

“I concur. Killing is someone is quite insane. In fact, it is impossible.” Tojo said confidently, folding her hands primly over her metal stomach.

“ ** _Puhuhu…is that what your cold robot logic is telling you? I feel you and I are kindred spirits!_** ” Monokuma cackled.

Tojo grimaced. “…I am _nothing_ like you.”

“I’ve heard enough!” Tenko said furiously, striding up to Monokuma and dropping into a low stance, her fists raised. “I might just be a traveler, but I’ve been in my share of fights. Why should we listen to this damn bear’s commands when we can just bust our way out of here?”

“Scary lady is right! Gonta no like fighting, but…” Gonta moved to stand next to her, dwarfing Monokuma massively. “Gonta will not let you hurt friends!”

“This is what I was saying we should do from the start, you guys…” Kaito grumbled as he also moved to join the more physically fit students, slowly forming a protective line in front of the main group.

Korekiyo wordlessly slipped into the formation, his narrowed eyes the only visible emotion as he dropped into a fighting pose.

“Tch…this isn’t my ideal team to work with, but I guess it will do…” Tenko muttered reluctantly, then turned to face Monokuma. “Alright you little menace, let us out of here before we turn you into scrap metal!”

“Nyahaha! This is looking to being quite the exciting show!” Angie exclaimed happily, hands in the air.

Monokuma recoiled, its cheeks flushing red somehow. “ ** _Oh my goodness, looks like there’s a full on student riot! I didn’t plan for this at all! I guess I have no choice but to_** …” It paused, cocking its head to the side. “ ** _Oh, wait. I_ did _plan for this! You can come out now, you two_**!”

“You two…?” Himiko began to question but was quickly drowned out by the sound of heavy, clunking metal steps on the floor above them.

“T-the fuck is that?” Miu asked fearfully. “I can’t take much more of this…can we have a bathroom break?!”

“Look there. There’s something else moving…” Rantaro pointed up at the higher walkways.

Following his gaze, Kaede could indeed see two shadowy figures looming over the railing edges of the second floor. There were much larger than Monokuma, and bulkier too.

Swiftly, inhumanely, they leaped over the railings and began to freefall much like Monokuma had previously. Unlike before, there was no sign of them slowing down due to a parachute.

“Watch out! Get out of the way!” Kaede found herself screaming at the four students closest to Monokuma. They hesitated, but then quickly scrambled back just in time to barely avoid the heavy boom of two heavy metal objects colliding with the stone floor, leaving a spiderweb of cracks and kicking up dust.

Through the hazy cloud of debris, the students watched in horror as the two figures seemed to unfurl until they were around eight feet high. As the dust settled…

“ _Oh, finally we get to make our appearance on the stage! I’ve been waiting sooooo long for this_!” The machine on the left said in a girlish but computerized voice. It looked monstrous- a heavily armored but human-like torso rested on a pair of powerful looking and mechanized digitigrade legs. It had two bulky arms with spikes coming off them, and instead of hands ended in a pair of deadly looking weapons.

The left hand was the nozzle of a flamethrower- a set of tubes wrapped themselves up the length of the arm and connected to a pair of large tanks on the mecha’s back. The right hand was a giant, vicious looking sawblade. But the head was the most disturbing part- the left face was identical to Monokuma’s white half, but the right was a terrifying exposed casing of wires and gears. The paint job of the whole machine was also two toned- white on the left, and a bright pastel pink on the right.

 **“Indeed, Monokasai. I hope we can perform our duties satisfactorily**. **”** The other contraption responded, sounding more masculine and formal. It was almost identical to the first one, with a few differences. The exposed casing on its head was flipped, complimented by the black half of Monokuma’s design, including the grin and sinister red eye. The right side of its body was pure black, and the left half painted a pastel blue. Its weapons were different too- the nozzle was on the opposite side, and lacked the distinctive ignitor arm with the small flame. Whatever came out of that one’s tanks, it wasn’t fire. The other arm ended in an imposing, heavy looking Gatling gun.

“ _That’s all you have to say? You’re such a bore, Monomizu. Put more emotion into it_!” The pink one said, and Kaede swore it was pouting.

To this, no one could utter anything. No cries of shock or fear, no joking banter, no shouts of defiance. Just stunned stares of horror and disbelief.

‘ _This…can’t be real. Is this really the world I’ve woken up in_?’ Kaede thought in dismay. All of the joy of discovery, the sense of adventure she’d felt just an hour ago had rushed out of her body, leaving her skin cold and clammy, her hands trembling ‘ _If this reality…I would have been better off staying asleep and ignorant_ …’

“ _Oh…I think we broke them. They’re all sitting around with such adorably dumb looks on their faces_.” Monokasei, as she seemed to be called, giggled in her sickeningly sweet tone.

**“That’s good. After all, our objective is to-”**

“ ** _Now, now children. Don’t go and tip all of the hand at once, hm_?** ” Monokuma interrupted pointedly.

Somehow, Monomizu seemed to slump in a human-like manner. **“My apologies, Uncle**. **"**

At that, some of the students seemed to snap out of their stupor. “Uncle…?” Shuichi muttered weakly.

“ ** _Allow me to introduce my darling niece and nephew_**!” Monokuma boasted proudly. “ ** _The beautiful and hard-working Monodroids! They’ll be serving as the enforcers of our regulations during your, ah,_ studies _here. Needless to say, violence against your good headmaster is strictly forbidden in those regulations. So consider that before you try anything rash!_** ”

The four would-be attacker students backed away, mingling with the rest of the group once more.

“Jesus…I’m not sure even the strongest person alive could put a dent in those things…” Kaito said, his voice grave and despite his best efforts to hide it, his legs were shaking where he stood.

“Hnnn…” Tenko seemed more frustrated than scared, shockingly. “If we had heavy weapons of our own, then _maybe_ …but1with just our fists? Not happening.”

“For now…is better to retreat.” Gonta nodded in agreement. “Gonta never seen anything like this before…”

Korekiyo just shook his head sadly as he stared at his own bandaged hands.

 **“A wise course of action**. **”** Monomizu said sagely. **“Do not fear- we will not harm any of you, so long as you comply**. **"**

“ _Aww…I was kinda hoping one of them would try something, big bro_ …” Monokasai almost sounded genuinely sad. Almost.

There was a brief silence, and then…

“So…what happens now, exactly?” Rantaro spoke up, looking keenly at Monokuma and his servants. “You really intend for us to go through with this game of yours- forcing us to kill each other?”

“ ** _Puhuhu…I’m not forcing anyone to do anything. Whether or not a murder occurs is entirely down to you guys_**!” Monokuma responded, looking extremely smug flanked by his two bodyguards.

“That’s clearly bullshit! You getting off on this or something, you sick fuck?!” Miu seemed to have found her courage again now that it was clear the Monodroids weren’t going to attack unless provoked first.

“Everyone…we have to remain calm.” Himiko’s voice rang out authoritatively as she pushed her way to the front of the pack, staring down Monokuma. Though, it was somewhat ruined by her short stature and high voice. “Whatever his true goals, he seems to be genuine in not desiring to simply kill us and be done with it. Nyeh…so even though things look pretty bad, we have some time to think on our best course of action.”

“Nihihi, we have all the time in the world in fact!” Kokichi said with a cheeky grin, his hands behind his head. “I don’t know about you guys, but this could actually be pretty fun!”

“You have a very strange idea of fun.” Maki glared at him. “Still…it appears we have no choice but to play along…for now.”

“Good things come to those who wait.” Angie said as she clapped her hands together in prayer. “So we should not do anything…hasty.”

There was an uncomfortable, unspoken weight in the air. There were no exits or escape routes anywhere to be found after sixteen people had combed the whole place over. Overpowering their captor with force was impossible. So the only options left were to accept living here forever, or…

‘ _No one wants to say it directly_.’ Kaede realized. ‘ _No wants to say out loud “Let’s agree not to kill anyone…yet._ ”’

“ ** _Well now, now that we’re all in agreement_** …” Monokuma said smoothly. “ ** _Let’s proceed with perhaps the most important part. Monomizu, could you_** …?”

 **“Of course, Uncle**. **”** The giant blue robot nodded, and a hatch on its bulky leg popped open. Inside was a small compartment, containing a number of electronic tablets- exactly like the one in Kaede’s backpack. **“These student handbooks are for each of you. They contain all of the regulations for viewing at any time, along with a map of the areas you have available to you, and some profiles on your fellow classmates** - **“**

“ _They also have a messaging app, so you can keep in touch! Not that you’ll need it in these cramped conditions_!" Monokasei interrupted.

 **“** … **Yes. Moving on** … **”** Monomizu sounded disgruntled. **“Most importantly, each handbook is unique to a specific student, and has been labelled for you. These tablets are what you use to access any card readers you come across- simply swipe the screen over the reader**. **”**

“ _Yup, yup. Some card readers respond to any handbook, and some respond to only a specific student’s_.” Monokasei continued. “ _Like your dormitories and labs! They’ll only open for the right person_.”

“What about the cooking equipment or food storage in the food court?” Kokichi said, pointing over his shoulder at the food counter area. “I don’t know about anyone else, but all this heavy stuff is making me starving!”

He said it jokingly, but it was true. Despite how hopeless everything looked, time still marched on, and bodies still needed food. Kaede felt her own stomach growl at the mere thought of getting something to eat. Looking around, everyone else seemed to be thinking the same.

“ ** _Ah, those are a bit of a special case_**.” Monokuma said proudly. “ ** _But I’ll let you work that out on your own_**.”

“W-what? After all this build up, we still won’t get food!?” Kaito complained.

Monokuma just waved his paw dismissively. “ ** _Hold your horses, you’ll be able to access it fine, don’t worry_**!”

“ _Honestly, kids today are sooooo ungrateful_.” Monokasei chimed, even though she sounded like a kid herself.

 **"We’re providing food and lodgings free of charge. That’s more than most people in the world get**. **”** Monomizu added.

“Tch…I’m not in the mood to be lectured by damn robots…” Tenko sniffed, glancing longingly at the food counter. “Uh, no offense Tojo.”

The odd robot out sighed. “…None taken. For now, might I suggest we obtain our respective handbooks? We can test them out on the various locks, and go over the rules as well.”

“Oh…that’s a good point.” Tsumugi said, still standing protectively over Keebo, who seemed to have fainted in her arms completely. “We wouldn’t want to break a rule by accident by not knowing it existed…”

“ _Then line up, suckers_!” Monokasei taunted.

Reluctantly, everyone obeyed, save for Keebo, who Tsumugi gently propped up in a chair.

“I’ll just…slip his into his pocket for him.” She said, wringing her hands in distress before moving to join the queue.

Kaede numbly found herself moving as well, her body and mind feeling oddly disconnected. Her thoughts were still swirling in her head, trying to make sense of it all. As she stood there, waiting her turn, she considered her unknown past, the deadly situation they were all in, the strange familiarity of it all.

“Kaede…” A grim, tired voice sounded from behind her. Turning her head to look over her shoulder, she saw Shuichi. He looked paler then ever, his hair damp from cold sweat clinging to his cheeks as he gazed at her with sad eyes. Despite that, his mouth was set in a determined, tight smile.

“Shuichi.” She found herself replying listlessly. “This…is one crazy situation we’ve found ourselves in, huh?”

“Yeah, it is.” He hesitated, and then slipped his hand into hers. “I’m…really scared, Kaede. I don’t know what’s going to happen, or why this is happening to us…but I’m not going to die in this place. I’m not going to let you die, either.”

He squeezed her hand gently. “…There has to be a way out other than what Monokuma says. Even if it’s really difficult, or takes a long time, I think…that we’ll be okay. I promise you, Kaede…we’ll get out of here alive.”

Like a lighthouse through fog, Shuichi’s confident words cut through her jumbled thoughts.

“Yeah…yeah, you’re right!” It was only slightly, but she felt some peppiness return to her voice. “I mean…if there’s no way out, why the guards?” She glanced around, then spoke to Shuichi in a hushed whisper so that the three robot bears couldn’t overhear. “There’s only two of them- they can’t be everywhere at once. Even if we have to plan an escape attempt for months, we might be able to come up with _something_.”

“No such thing as a perfect prison.” Kaede almost jumped as the person ahead of her in the queue, Ryoma, also spoke in a whisper. “…You ever see ‘The Great Escape’?”

Kaede just shook her head with a smile, and tapped the side of her skull twice.

“…Oh, right. Anyways…consider me on board with not giving up so easily.” Ryoma stared up at the grinning visage of Monomizu as his turn to collect a tablet came up. “…We should talk more later.” And with that, he reached into the robot’s compartment and picked out the handbook with a little sticker labelled ‘Ryoma Hoshi’ on it.

‘… _I feel like an idiot for being so overwhelmed_.’ Kaede thought as she closed her eyes, her mind feeling a lot clearer. ‘ _It’s not like I’m all alone in this situation. Everyone else is going through the same thing. And so long as we have something to believe in, however fragile…there’s hope_.’

 **“Hey, are you going to daydream all day? Take your handbook already**. **”** Monomizu grunted, jolting her out of her thoughts.

“R-right, sorry.” She said, letting go of Shuichi’s hand and stepping forward. ‘ _Why am I apologizing to it_?’

Sure enough, there was a handbook with her name on it. But that was strange, wasn’t it? She already had one in her backpack, even if it didn’t turn on.

‘… _That’s something I can solve later. For now, I should join the others_.’ Kaede hit the on switch as she walked over the rest of the group again, and this time the device turned on. The screen lit up with a soft light, and her name flashed briefly on the screen before being replaced by a menu.

Before she could delve too deeply into that, Monokuma spoke up again. “ ** _Finally, you all have your handbooks. I feel this got really dragged out…but from here on in, there’ll be no hand holding. Make sure you all do your very best to make your headmaster proud_**!”

He waddled forward, and raised his arms up into the expectantly. “ ** _Monodroids_**!”

“ _Oh, right_. <” Monokasei said, and bent her flamethrower down low, allowing her ‘Uncle’ to latch onto it with his paws, scooping him up into the air. “ _We’ll be going now, you bastards_!”

 **“** … **But we’ll always be watching**. **”** Monomizu finished ominously.

 **“ _Be good, Kuma_**! **”** The family of three robots said in unison, and an acrid smell started to spread as flames jettisoned out from the two Monodroid’s feet, propelling them into the air, Monokuma dangling precariously off of Monokasei’s weapon. They gained height quickly, disappearing into the murky depths of the upper floors.

…”Good fucking riddance.” Miu muttered. “I…I still don’t understand what the hell is going on. Why are they doing this shit to us?”

“…That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” Rantaro pondered as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Whether a murder happens or not, I don’t see what they could possibly gain from this.”

“Whoever is behind this…seems to have a great deal of resources at their disposal.” Tojo said, still gazing at the smoky trail left behind by the recently departed robots. “Take it from me that building robots is not cheap, especially ones like those.” Even as she said it, her lip curled in disgust.

‘ _Guess she really doesn’t like to consider herself in the same category as them…and for good reason_.’ Kaede thought.

“That and the sheer scale of this place and its facilities.” Ryoma added. “If it weren’t for the bland décor and the lack of exits, this would probably be some reclusive millionaire’s holiday home. That’s a lot of money to invest in us with seemingly no benefit…”

 “Maybe Miu wasn’t too far off in what she said earlier…that they get off on this.” Tenko said with a sneer. “Some old, rich guy with nothing better to do than finding sick pleasure in something depraved like this…doesn’t seem that farfetched, does it?”

“Tch…sounds as good a theory as any, for now.” Kaito muttered, scratching the back of his head. “But…what are we supposed to do from here?”

“Well…we’ll just have to keep investigating, and see what happens.” Tsumugi said. “We’ll go over the rules, sort out food arrangements, and then we’ll probably have to retire for the evening. But we can resume our search tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, we can meet up here in morning.” Gonta said with a nod. “Always better to be active after good sleep and good meal.”

“Then it is decided.” Angie smiled serenely at the group, though there was an odd glint in her steely eyes. “We shall all co-operate with each other, yes? No one will take any…unnecessary actions.”

“…Yeah, of course.” Kaito muttered, not looking her in the eye.  

There was silence once more as everyone glanced around at each other uneasily. Kaede gritted her teeth as she saw the wariness, the suspicion in everyone’s gaze, even as they spoke about working together. They didn’t really believe the words they were saying.

But Kaede believed. Shuichi and Ryoma seemed to as well. They’d make everyone see that it was more than just empty platitudes.

They had to.

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the prologue comes to end, and Daily Life begins. Who will live? Who will die?
> 
> I think I'm in the minority that I actually found the Monokubs in DRV3 quite entertaining. However, it did annoy me that they ended up having no plot relevance in the end. So, I've decided to go for something a bit different with two new characters that are essentially an all-in-one Monokub and Exisal, who WILL have plot significance. As to what that significance is...well, that would be telling :3


	6. Day I: A Game at Supper

**SCHOOL REGULATIONS**

**1\. Students may reside only within the Ultimate Academy for the duration of their school life.**

**2.**  " **Nighttime" is from 10pm to 7am. Some areas are off limits at night, so please exercise caution.**

**3 .Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class, and punished accordingly.**

**4\. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the Ultimate Academy at your discretion.**

**5\. Violence against faculty is strictly prohibited, as is unauthorized destruction of property such as surveillance cameras.**

**6\. Anyone who kills a fellow student will become 'blackened' and earn the right to graduate early, so long as they remain undiscovered.**

**7\. Faculty may not physically harm students unless issuing punishments.**

**8\. School life will come to an early end if only 3 or fewer students remain.**

**9\. Additional school regulations may be added at the headmaster's discretion.**

* * *

 

Everyone looked up from their handbooks with dark expressions.

"So…these are the rules being enforced on us, huh?" Rantaro mused. "Well…I suppose they could be worse, but…"

"This is such bullshit…why the hell do I have to agree to this?" Miu spat in anger. "I never should have accepted the invite to this fucking school…"

"But…I'm pretty sure this isn't the actual school…" Tsumugi nitpicked, but Miu steadfastly ignored her.

"It's quite interesting to me that they didn't place many restrictions on exploring this building." Himiko said as she rubbed at her eyes. "Mm…Monokuma implied the higher floors will become available to us at some point in the future. So he must be confident that-" She cut herself off with a long, wide-mouthed yawn. "Nyeh…putting theories together while I'm awake is too much of a pain. Someone else do it for me."

"Aww, Himiko is so cute when she's sleepy!" Tenko squealed.

' _She is cute…and also quite lazy. Not an ideal trait for a detective, especially in this situation_ ' Kaede bit her lip. Looking around, everyone else seemed similarly unimpressed, save for Tenko.

"Well, what  _I_  found interesting, is rule number six." Kokichi said with a grin. "Specifically, the second half…"

"I was wondering about that as well." Ryoma nodded. "Not enough to just kill…you have to get away with it too."

"But, if that's the rule…how would Monokuma even know who to let out?" Tojo continued with a frown. "Ah…hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Hm, hm…he has surveillance cameras everywhere, yes? Then I don't think it's possible to hide a crime from  _him_." Angie said with unnerving cheer. "No, I think it's  _us_  that a potential killer must hide from. And in confined quarters like this, that would be quite difficult."

"That's…kinda weird, isn't it?" Kaito said, scratching the back of his head. "That damn bear seems thirsty for blood, but he's made it really hard for anyone to actually pull something off. If he really wants us to kill each other…"

"Well, that's one less reason to worry, right? If it's too difficult, no one would actually risk doing it, right?" Kaede spoke up. "So, I'm confident that a killing isn't going to happen."

"I agree." Shuichi chimed in. "So we aren't in any immediate danger."

Once again, everyone glanced around at each other. There was still unease, but everyone seemed to have relaxed a little after discussing it.

"Hm…one thing stood out to Gonta." The tall tennis player said as he adjusted his glasses, peering down at the handbook which looked tiny compared to his monstrous hands. " Rule eight…why three survivors and not one?"

"Oh, that's easy." Kokichi grinned. "It's because it would be a violation of rule six if someone out of that group of three died."

"A…violation?" Tojo said with a frown.

"I think I get what he means." Rantaro said with a nod. "Let's say there are three people left- A, B and C. Person A is then murdered by Person B, and per the rule, Person B can't be discovered by person C…"

"…But of course it would be obvious to C who the killer was, because there's only one suspect!" Tenko's eyes lit up in realization.

"Right." Kokichi smiled. "So, that number is the point at which any mystery potential vanishes. Monokuma- he wants the intrigue, the scheming, the plot twists. We're basically his personal soap opera waiting to happen, so if the well of drama dries up, there's no point playing the game anymore."

"Damn…you figured all that out just from looking at the rules? You're pretty smart for a brat…" Miu begrudgingly complimented.

To that, the caregiver just shrugged. "It's obvious if you know how to read between the lines."

"Tch…" Tenko seemed reluctant to admit she was impressed. "I'm sure Himiko already figured that out anyways…"

' _Kokichi_ … _It's difficult to get a read on him at all_.' Kaede thought. ' _He's one to watch, for sure_ …'

"Well, ignoring all of that for now, can we figure out what the deal with the food court is? I'm starving." Maki said as she fiddled with a clip in her hair. "It's all moot if we die from hunger."

At the thought of food, Kaede's stomach rumbled, and hers wasn't the only one. As a group, they quickly hurried over to the meal preparation area. Tsumugi moved to the large freezer, clutching her handbook.

"Well…let's give it a try." And so she swiped it across the card reader. There was no indication as to whether or not it worked, however. "A-alright…then how about now we…" She reached out a gloved hand to grasp the handle, and pulled. It didn't budge. "Urgh…how aggravating. I can't prepare a meal for everyone like this…"

"Monokuma did say these ones were a 'special case'" Kaede said as she glanced down at her own handbook. "Perhaps…" From the menu, she selected the 'settings' icon. An itemized list appeared before her, with usual things like brightness, colour scheme, font size and the like. There was also a little tickbox, which was simply labelled 'Janitor Handbook: Available.' The box was unchecked. "Guys, I think I've found something. In the settings options…what does it mean by 'Janitor Handbook?'

"Huh?" Kaito mumbled as he fumbled for his own book. "Oh hey, you've right. Could that have something to do with it?"

"Well, it's my duty to serve, so I'll try clicking it." Tsumugi said quickly. Before anyone could stop her, she reached out and checked the box on her own handbook with her gloved finger. "It says that I am now 'The Janitor', and there's a timer that's appeared next to it. It has 72 hours remaining…"

"Perhaps try the freezer again?" Angie suggested. Tsumugi did so, swiping her handbook across the reader. This time it lit up with a green light and emitted a soft 'ding'.

"I think that did it!" The blue haired maid said excitedly, pulling the freezer door open. A cool blast of air washed over the group refreshingly. "Finally, I can get to work!"

"So, only one of us can access the food supply at a time." Rantaro seemed pensive.

"Huh? One person?" Shuichi said, looking at him with confusion.

"Look back at the options. Notice anything different?" The magician explained. Looking at her own handbook again, Kaede saw the label had changed to 'Janitor Handbook: Available in 71 Hours 59 minutes'.

"Oh, I see. So it's on a rota system maybe?" Kaito said. "Guess we'll have to take it in turns to do the cooking and cleaning."

"Ohh…I hope it will let me pick it again when the timer runs out." Tsmugi had already starting taking items out of the freezer and putting them on a nearby counter. "It simply will not do to have someone else do this sort of work."

"Well…I'm sure you're probably the best at it, but it's nice to take a break sometimes yeah?" Kaito said with a thumbs up. "Take the opportunity to treat yourself!"

Tsumugi looked a little ill at the thought. "If…if you say so. Anyways, everyone please go and sit down at the tables, and I'll prepare meals for everyone. If you have any preferences, allergies or other dietary requirements, please let me know."

"Gonta is vegetarian, but will eat pretty much anything non-meaty." Gonta said.

"I'm allergic to nuts…" Himiko mumbled sleepily.

"I'll have the cheeseburger with a side of chicken nuggets and fries, please! And a large Diet Coke!" Kokichi giggled.

"You have the opportunity to taste the cooking of the Ultimate Maid, and you ask for junk food?" Maki said with disbelief.

"Hey, I'm a guy who knows what he wants!"

Korekiyo came over to Shuichi and tapped him on the shouder, then signed something at him.

"Right, I'll tell her." Shuichi nodded.

"Hm? Korekiyo has a request?" Tsmugi asked as she started turning on the stove.

"He said he also wanted a cheeseburger meal! With the toy as well!" Kokichi said before Shuichi could answer.

"…No, he didn't." Tenko huffed.

Rolling his eyes at Kokichi's antics, Shuichi answered. "He says just a bowl of rice is enough for him."

"Just rice? That's rather…plain. But if that's what he wants…" Tsmugi shrugged, now moving to chop up vegetables to toss into a pot of boiling water.

Kaede watched contentedly as everyone told Tsumugi what they wanted, and one by one students went to go take a seat. There was something oddly homely about the scene, despite the circumstances.

"…And you, Kaede?" She was jarred out of her daydreaming by Tsumugi addressing her. "What would you like?"

"O-oh, um…" Kaede stuttered. "Well, if I have any allergies, I don't remember them… And uh, I don't remember my preferences either…so, surprise me!"

"Very well. If the food is not to your liking, please do not hesitate to request a replacement." Tsumugi curtsied to her, before turning back to her preparations. It felt a little uncomfortable to be waited on, but also rather flattering.

"Heeey, Kaede! You gonna sit next to your boyfriend or what?" She heard Kokichi's voice catcall from the tables, along with Shuichi's embarrassed coughs. Rolling her eyes, she turned and headed over to the tables.

Sure enough, there was an open seat next to Shuichi, who was looking away with flushed cheeks. Kokichi and Angie sat across from him- the former with mischief in his eyes, the latter with her eyes completely closed, apparently in some kind of meditation again.

Kaede slid herself in next to Shuichi, who muttered out a 'hey'.

"Hey." She said with a smile, then turned to the odd duo across from her. "Sooo…while we're waiting…" She hesitated as she thought on how best to take the ice, before a metaphorical lightbulb went off in her head. "…Wanna play cards? I have a deck in my backpack."

"Oooh, that sounds fun! Let's summon the Forbidden One!" Kokichi said with sparkles In his eyes.

"Uh, I think she means a deck of regular playing cards…" Shuichi deadpanned, apparently getting whatever strange reference Kokichi was making. "But yeah, I'm game."

"And you, Angie?" Kaede said as she slung the pack off her shoulders and rummaged for the cards, being very careful to avoid the knife.

"…Sure, why not? But which game shall we play?" She said without opening her eyes.

"…How about Cheat? It's my favourite." Kokichi said with a sly smile.

"…Cheat?" Kaede questioned as she put the deck box on the table, and placing her backpack on the floor next to her feet. The box had an odd symbol on it- an inverted triangle on top of a regular triangle, forming an hourglass. The top half of the glass had an eye in its center, and the bottom half was colored in purple.

"Cheat, also known as Bluff, I Doubt It, or sometimes Bullshit. A popular party game, primarily in the United States of America." Angie listed off reflexively. "There are many variants, but the goal is to get rid of all the cards in your hand. Once per turn you must place anywhere between 1 and 4 cards face down into a pile in the middle of the table, and it must be one higher, one lower, or the same as the card that was placed by the previous person."

"But since you place them face down, you could just lie about what you put there." Kokichi continued explaining. "And if you don't have any suitable cards to play, you HAVE to cheat. But if someone else knows you're cheating, they can call you out. Let's say I claim to play three Aces, but Angie holds two of them in her hand. Since there are only four in play, she knows I must be lying, and I add the pile to my hand. So you have to make sure your lies are believable lies…"

"It sounds kinda complicated…" Shuichi said nervously.

"It's easy, once you get into it! Here, I'll deal." And before she could protest, Kokichi had snatched the deck from Kaede's hands.

"Hey!" She puffed up her cheeks angrily, but he just grinned as he withdrew the cards from the box and shuffled them deftly. He then dealt thirteen cards to each of them, exhausting the deck. Shuichi, Kaede and Kokichi picked up their cards and held them so the others couldn't see, but Angie ignored hers, leaving them in a pile in front of her, her eyes still shut.

"You aren't playing, Angie?" Kaede said with disappointment.

"Hm? No, I am. I said I would, didn't I? I don't need to see my cards to play. Atua will tell me what moves to make."

Shuichi snorted derisively, though he managed to play it off as a cough.

"Well, that certainly makes it more interesting!" Kokichi said happily. "Since I'm the dealer, I'll start. First play has to be aces, as well as the first play after someone has the pile added to their hand. Then it can be either one rank higher or lower. 'Lower' than an ace loops around to King. Now…" He slid two cards face down into the center of the table, a sly grin on his face. "…Two aces."

Kaede looked down at her hand. It was certainly possible Kokichi was already cheating on the first turn, but there was no way to prove it. She had two threes, but no queens or aces. If Angie played a king instead of a two next turn, Kaede would be forced to lie.

There was a brief pause as Kokichi waited for anyone to accuse him. When no one did, he shrugged. "Okay Angie, you next."

Without hesitation, Angie placed a single card onto the pile. "One two." Her eyes were still firmly shut.

Kaede sighed in relief softly. She didn't notice Kokichi smirk.

"Two three's" She said confidently, placing them in the pile, then looked at Shuichi expectantly.

"Uh…one four…" He said hesitantly. He was probably cheating, but Kaede didn't have the heart to call him out. No one else apparently did either, as Kokichi played anoter three. They continued for a few turns, with no one being called out for cheating.

Eventually, Kokichi had only one card left in his hand after playing two tens. Angie had five cards left, Kaede had three, and Shuichi had six.

"2 Jacks." Angie said calmly, adding them to the pile.

' _Shit, I haven't got any Queens still. Kokichi could win on his next turn. I have to cheat_...' Trying to remain calm and play it safe, Kaede slid one nine face down into the center. "One Queen."

"Cheat." Both Angie and Kokichi said in unison, and Kaede groaned.

"How did you know?" She whined as the whole pile was added to her hand, cards practically overflowing from her grasp. ' _Well, no way I'm winning now_ …'

"I already played all 4 queens when cheating previously." Angie said smugly, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

"You were cheating? I couldn't tell at all…" Shuichi said in reluctant awe.

"But I'm curious- how did YOU know she was cheating, Kokichi?" Angie finally cracked one open to glance at the boy sitting next to her. "You wouldn't have had any queens to know."

Kokichi just grinned impishly. "Oh, I didn't need to. A practiced liar knows how to spot the lies of others." He raised a finger to his nose and smirked, looking at Kaede with dark eyes. "…It's a very valuable trait to have."

Despite herself, Kaede felt a chill run her spine. She didn't know why, but in that moment, Kokichi almost seemed…dangerous.

The moment passed as quickly as it came, the dark look in the caregiver's eyes replaced by childish glee. "Your turn, Shuichi! Then I can win!"

"Right…" The entomologist mumbled as he half-heartedly played one card. "One ace."

Kokichi smirked again, looking Kaede in the eyes as he slid his single card into the middle. The group watched with bated breath, and even Angie had opened her eyes to observe with interest. "…One King."

"Cheat." Kaede said confidently, seeing four Kings in her hand.

Kokichi grinned, and flipped his card over to reveal…the King of Hearts.

"W-what! How?!" Kaede protested. "That's five Kings!"

"And that's why you don't let me shuffle." Kokichi laughed, holding up the card. Looking closer, Kaede saw that it looked to be from a different deck, with stylized art of a clown wearing a crown instead of the abstract shapes that had been on her cards.

"That's not fair…" Kaede said with a pout, though she was holding back a smile. "You're a troublemaker through and through, aren't you?"

"Moi? You wound me…" Kokichi responded playfully even as he slipped the card back into the pocket of his grimy jacket. "Now if you think that was impressive, you should see the tricks Rantaro can do…"

' _I_ … _I like this_.' Kaede thought as Kokichi started to ramble about the magician, tuning it out of her head. ' _Despite the crazy circumstances_ … _it's nice to just feel like a bunch of goofy teenagers_.'

She was interrupted from her thoughts as Tsumugi approached their table, pushing a trolley loaded up with dishes. "Good evening, everyone. I have the meals you requested here- I do hope they are satisfactory." With that, she began placing them on the table in front of the respective students.

"Hm…can we even be certain it is the evening? The handbook claims it's just gone 9:30 PM, but without looking outside, it is impossible to tell." Angie said as Tsumugi placed a bowl containing some mixture of sauce, vegetables and diced up meat. The anthropologist glanced down at her meal and her eyes widened. "Oh my…I'm impressed, Tsumugi. I wasn't sure you'd know how to prepare this."

"O-oh, it was nothing…" Tsumugi said with a blush.

"What is it?" Kaede asked curiously, sniffing at the air. "It smells…citrus-y."

"It is  _Ika Mata_ \- a traditional meal of the Cook Islands. Raw white fish is marinated in lemon juices, then served with coconut cream and cooked vegetables." Angie picked up her fork and poked at the food, inspecting it. "Ah, Tsumugi has used boiled green bananas in this one. Very good!"

"Wait, bananas are a fruit, not a vegetable!" Kokichi protested.

"It depends whether you're talking botanically or culinarily." Tsumugi corrected him. "In the way these are utilized, it's not inaccurate to call them a vegetable."

"S-seriously? My life is a lie…"

"So…" Shuichi resolutely ignored Kokichi. "The Cook Islands- is that where you're from, Angie?"

"Ah…no." It might have just been Kaede's imagination, but Angie's smile seemed to become rather thin. "There are over a thousand different islands in the Pacific Ocean, of which the Cook Islands make up only fifteen. There is…a specific place in that ocean I call home, yes…" Angie trailed off.

"Getting specific about the Pacific?" Kokichi said with a grin as Tsumugi placed his plate in front of him, distracting him from teasing any further. "Oh boy, time to dig…in…" His voice died as looked in awe at the plate in front of him. Just as he'd requested, it was a western style burger, but…

"I tried my best to fit in your ah, request." Tsumugi said, fiddling with the hem of her apron. "A half-pound gourmet burger in a toasted sesame seed bun, handmade from 100% beef mince and topped with melted blue cheese, red onions and relish. The 'fries' are thick cut oven chips I made from scratch with a garnish of sprinkled parsley, and the 'nuggets' are chicken rolled in breadcrumbs and then cooked through."

She finished her explanation as she placed a tall glass of dark liquid on the drinks coaster next to his meal. "…And a Diet Coke."

Kokichi reached out for the burger in a trance, picking it up in two hands and raising it to his lips, taking a large bite. Grease dribbled down his chin as he chewed slowly, his eyes watering. Finally he swallowed. "T-this is…" Tears ran down his face as he started to openly cry. "The best food I have ever eaten in my  _life_!" He then tore it into it ravenously, taking bite after bite.

Kaede and Shuichi just stared, dumbfounded. Angie quietly picked away at her  _Ika Mata_ , and Tsumugi promptly took out another dish.

"For you Shuichi, fried shrimp tempura with soba noodles." She said with a curtsey after she placed it in front of him. "And…" She then placed a small pot of chopped up fruits like banana, apple and grapes next to the main dish. "Some fruits for your insect friends."

"Thank you Tsumugi, it looks delicious." Shuichi said with a smile. "Some of my bugs require specialized food though…I can only hope the Entomologist lab will have what I need when we check it tomorrow. "

"And for you, Kaede…" Tsumugi finally turned to the expectantly waiting girl. "Udon noodles, as they are not made with buckwheat and thus you are far less likely to be allergic. Chikara Udon to be precise, topped with toasted mochi. I hope you enjoy it."

"Thank you, Tsumugi. It looks delicious!" Kaede had to restrain herself from salivating as picked up the provided pair of chopsticks. "Make sure you take the time to make something for yourself, though!"

Her words fell on deaf ears, as Tsumugi wheeled the cart over to the next table where Miu, Kaito, Rantaro and Tojo were sitting.

Kaede was distracted from staring after the Ultimate Maid as Shuichi began unclipping his containers from his belt, placing them on the table next to his bowl so he could drop the fruits in. Her stomach churned as she was introduced once again to the large stag beetle, which seemed to be staring directly at her through the coloured plastic.

She quickly turned away and began slurping noodles into her mouth.

The flow of conversation trailed off as they ate their respective meals- Kokichi's typical manic energy had apparently been tempered by his reverence for Tsumugi's cooking, for the time being at least.

' _And it's not hard to see why_ …' Kaede thought as she shoveled food like a woman possessed. ' _This is fantastic_ … _not that I have anything to compare it to_.'

About 10 minutes later, the four of them leaned back in their seats contentedly, stomachs full. Kokichi broke his burger-induced rapture with a loud belch, followed by a giggle.

"Gross…weren't you raised with any manners?" Kaede said with a frown.

"Actually, in some cultures burping after a meal is considered polite, and a compliment toward the host." Angie came to the impishly grinning boy's defense.

"And is Japan one of those cultures?" Shuichi said with a smirk.

"…No." Angie admitted, and the four of them laughed.

"Hey everyone…good food, huh?" Kaede swiveled in her seat to see Tenko approach their table. Her hands were in her short pockets, and her eyes were darting from side to side as she approached. "…Shuichi, there's something I need to talk to you about."

' _Wait, Shuichi? I thought she didn't even_ like  _Shuichi, or boys in general_.' Kaede narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Uh…okay." Shuichi seemed equally surprised at the adventurer's approach. "About what?"

Tenko bit her lip as she glanced around the table. "…Not here. Alone."

"Well, that's not suspicious at all!" Kokichi trilled happily.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" She snapped.

"Tenko…are you already keeping secrets from the group?" Angie's expression was stern. "If you have something to tell Shuichi, why not all of us?"

Tenko flinched at that, looking nervous. "I-it's not like that! This isn't anything that would affect anyone else. I just…I just need to talk to him, okay?"

' _It is suspicious, but she seems genuine, and oddly agitated_.' Kaede thought, conflicted.

"Look…Shuichi, you can tell everybody else what I talked to you about if you want." Tenko continued. "It's up to you. But I need to initially tell you in private."

Everyone looked to Shuichi, awaiting his answer. He still seemed rather confused, but he nodded.

"I don't really get what the big deal is, but sure. Let's go talk in one of the corridors." He said, beginning to get out of his seat. "If that's okay with you guys?" He aimed this question mostly at Angie, who still unimpressed with the sneaking about.

"…Fine. But inform the rest of us if you think it's anything potentially dangerous." Angie relented. "And if you lie to me, Atua will know."

"…Right." He rolled his eyes at that, and then he and Tenko headed off to the Dormitory corridor.

"Ah…see you later, Shuichi!" Kaede called out after him, to which he turned and nodded.

"Make sure you use protection!" Kokichi said, causing Shuichi to sputter and stumble and Tenko to make some rude hand gestures in Kokichi's general direction.

"K-Kokichi!" Kaede flushed red, scandalized.

"What?" He said innocently, wide eyed. "Jealous your boyfriend is headed off to the dorms with another girl?"

"Shuichi isn't my boyfriend." Kaede scoffed. "And even if he was, I'm ninety percent certain Tenko is a lesbian."

"Touché. Then perhaps what you're really worried about is…" Kokichi's eyes glinted darkly again, like obsidian. "The possibility she might kill him…"

Kaede grit her teeth so hard she was afraid she would pull her jaw. "Not funny." She hissed.

"Who said I was joking?" Kokichi shrugged nonchalantly.

"There's no way that would ever happen!" Kaede protested, banging her fists on the table and causing the cutlery to clatter about.

"I agree." Angie stated calmly. "Shuichi is not in any danger."

Kaede nodded fervently. "Yes, because we're all frie-"

"Because Tenko would be the obvious suspect, after all. There would be no benefit for her to do it like this." Angie continued.

"…" While Kaede couldn't deny Angie's logic, that was a colder response than she was expecting.

"Ohhh, right! I hadn't thought of that!" Kokichi said in mock amazement.

"Please, you knew that from the start. You just wanted to mess with me." Kaede muttered, her previous good mood soured.

"Who, me?" Kokichi pointed at himself, eyes wide and his lip trembling. "I…I would never do a thing like that!"

"Oh, you can lie better than that." Angie said with a giggle.

Kaede huffed in annoyance, both at her fellow student's antics and because she was unsettled a little by Tenko's behavior, even if she knew logically that was probably nothing to worry about.

She sulked there for a few minutes as Kokichi kept smirking at her between sips of his coke. Angie reached into her tunic, producing a verbose looking book and a pair of reading glasses, shutting out the rest of the world as she skimmed through its pages.

As she waited for Shuichi and Tenko to return, Kaede glanced around at the other tables.

Kaito and Miu were sitting across from each other, apparently neither particularly impressed with the other as they bickered about something. Rantaro seemed to be trying to mediate between the two, though his expression was one of bemusement rather than aggravation. Tojo was ignoring the conversation- she had gathered their meal leftovers onto a plate in front of her, and was poking at it curiously. Her eyes were glowing with a soft blue backlight that Kaede was sure the robot girl hadn't possessed earlier.

On another table, Korekiyo had acquired a notepad from somewhere, and was writing something on it with a pen. Every so often he would tear out the page and slide it across to Gonta, who read it and then would say something in response. Himiko was slumped in her seat, looking extremely tired but just barely keeping her eyes open as she ate her food painstakingly slowly.

' _Right_ … _the rule about sleeping outside of the dorms is probably going to be a challenge for Himiko_ …' Kaede thought with concern.

The fourth student at the table was Maki, who sat with crossed arms and a disgruntled expression, not talking to any of her table members.

Kaede watched her with interest. ' _Of everyone here, she's the most mysterious. All I know is her talent and that she's quite blunt and standoffish. I thought teamwork was important for astronauts_?"

As if sensing Kaede's gaze, Maki turned her head to fix her with a glare. Kaede quickly looked away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

At the final table sat Keebo, Tsumugi and Ryoma. The inventor had regained consciousness, nursing a glass of water with a thousand yard stare as Tsumugi patted his hand and spoke with him softly, most likely explaining what he'd missed while fainted.

Ryoma had been provided with a pile of cushions to allow him to reach the table, which he seemed to be taking in stride as he observed the two across from him pensively, though occasionally his hands drummed the surface of the table in agitation about something.

Kaede was awoken from her people watching as she spotted Tenko and Shuichi making their return. Tenko muttered something to Shuichi, who nodded, then she walked in the direction of Himiko's table, apparently still eager to try and muster up some kind of rapport with the shorter girl.

Shuichi looked up, his eyes meeting Kaede's, and he smiled as he began to walk back to his seat. He still moved with a rather shuffling, awkward gait, but he seemed to be holding himself with a slighter less hunched posture, and his hat was currently out of the way of his eyes.

' _He seems_ … _more confidant_?' Kaede speculated.

"Hey." She greeted him as he slid into his chair. "Sooo…what was all that about? You seem pleased."

Shuichi blushed, and distracted himself by sliding open the lid to one of his insect containers and dropping a blackberry in. "She just gave me some advice, is all. Kind of a pep talk."

"Why would our resident man-hater go out of her way to give advice to a boy?" Kokichi cocked his head to the side.

"It does seem…out of character for her, considering how she was acting earlier." Kaede conceded.

"What advice did she give you?" Angie asked shrewdly, peering over her reading glasses.

"Ah, I'd rather keep that private if that's alright." Shuichi said. Angie continued to stare at him intensely, and he raised his hands defensively. "It's nothing malicious, I promise." He insisted.

She continued to look at him for a few moments, her face impassive as her steely eyes seemingly pierced deep into his soul. And just as quickly, the illusion shattered. "Well, alright then! Atua says you're telling the truth, so it's fine!" She said cheerfully, smiling wide.

"Are you serious or whimsical?" Kaede asked. "You can't seem to make up your mind."

Angie turned her eyes to meet Kaede's, and she found herself noticing all of a sudden how deep they were. Images of shells and sea foam appeared in her mind unbidden, bright shining sun and deep crystal waters.

"Perhaps I'm simply, seriously whimsical!" Angie said coyly, and Kaede felt an uncomfortable flipping of her stomach. For some reason, she felt herself averting her gaze.

* _ **DING DONG DING**_ *

The same bell that had played shortly before Monokuma first appeared played again, the sound carrying clearly to the seated students despite the openness of the area.

" _ **Puhuhu...are we all fed and watered? It's currently 9:55 PM. In five minutes nighttime will start, and the food court will be off limits. I figured you'd all want a bit of a heads up since that's where you all are right now. In future however I won't be so considerate.**_ " Monokuma's sickly sweet voice said over the speakers. " _ **Sweet dreams everyone…**_ " With that, the PA system shut off with a click.

"…The food court will be off limits?" Kaede repeated dumbly, then shot up out of her seat, picking up her backpack. "Uh, we'd better get out of here." Everyone at her table nodded and left their empty plates on the table as they hurriedly vacated their seats.

Angie quickly tucked her book back into her tunic, but left the reading glasses on her face.

"Aww, guess midnight snacking is off the table." Kokichi complained dejectedly as theyhurried away towards the edge of the area, which was marked where the white tiles of the atrium turned into a pastel green pattern of the food court.

Behind them, the other tables made a similar scramble to vacate the area lest they find out firsthand how serious the Monodroids were with enforcing the rules. Ryoma was dragging a protesting Tsumugi along by the hand with surprising strength considering his stature.

"B-but I haven't cleared up the tables or wiped down the kitchen surfaces yet!" She cried out, trying to pull free of his grip to no avail. "I can't leave them in that filthy state!"

"You can do that in the morning." Ryoma said patiently as he pulled her into the safe zone. "You're no good to anyone dead, you know." She went quiet and stopped resisting after that.

And not a moment too soon- as the pair went over the border and joined the rest of the frazzled looking group, there was a mechanical clunk followed by the whirring of gears as part of the floor slid open in a circle, matching up perfectly with the food court boundaries. And then the barrier started to rise.

It was made of thick metal plating, a vast curtain of steel that rose higher and higher to close off the dining area from even the most determined individual. It didn't stop there, and the sixteen teenagers watched impassively as it crawled up past the higher floors until it shrouded the top of the Monokuma statue from view, the red glow of its eye being cut off.

"Nyeh…talk about overkill." Himiko said, craning her head far back to see that high, then wincing at the strain in her neck. "What a pain…"

"That bear is compensating for something, for sure." Miu agreed.

"So uh…what do we do now? Call it a day?" Kaito said, looking around at the rest of the group. "We can meet up in the morning when it's open again and discuss our game plan!" He raised his fist with a grin.

"That would be the logical course of action. The rules state that 'morning' starts at 7AM, so I suggest we all aim to gather in the food court by around 7:15." Tojo suggested.

"And…what then?" Tenko asked, poking her fingers together.

"Well, we need to take a look at those 'Ultimate Labs'." Kaede spoke up, adjusting her backpack straps. "Past that…it's not really clear. But I think a regular group meetup at mealtimes will help keep morale high and everyone on the same page."

It would also serve to monitor whether anyone was 'missing'. But she wasn't going to say that out loud. Glancing around the group at their slightly forced smiles, she could tell she didn't need to.

"Works for me." Rantaro said with a shrug.

"S-same here." Keebo added nervously. "Also my, ah, apologies for that little episode earlier. It shames me as a man of science to have acted so disgracefully in front of my peers."

"Don't worry about it, dude." Kaito walked over and slapped the inventor on the back heartily, to which Keebo winced. "Not everyone can be super courageous, and that's okay! Takes all sorts!"

"Yes, because you're a  _fine_  example of courage…" Tenko muttered derisively, though if Kaito heard her he ignored it.

"If we're done wasting time, I'm going to bed." Maki said bitingly. "Honestly…" And with that, she turned on her heel and headed towards the dorms.

"Jeez, what's her problem?" Kokichi commented as the aloof girl left. "Is it her time of the m-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll regret it." Tenko snarled, though Kokichi only smirked in response.

"Well, if we're all in agreement." Angie said happily, not deigning to acknowledge the bickering. "Then let's turn in for the evening. May Atua watch over us all as we sleep."

Murmuring in agreement, the students followed Maki to the dormitory hallway. Kaede trailed at the back of the pack, stepping into line next to Shuichi.

She bit her lip as she watched her first friend out of the corner of her eye. She desperately wanted to press him on what he'd been talking about with Tenko, but she held herself back. Partially because she didn't want to upset him or come across as pushy, but also because whatever she'd said seemed to have had a positive effect on his self-esteem.

She shook her head, reprimanding herself. They'd only known each other a day, of course she wouldn't know everything about him, and it was in fact normal to not know everything about your friends. As time passed and they all become closer, Shuichi would probably confide in her too.

It didn't sting that Tenko had seemingly picked up on something she hadn't. Not at all.

She bid the others goodnight, and swiped her handbook across the card roomer on the room with her pixel sprite on it. Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, she let out a soft sigh.

She stood there awkwardly for a moment, her own breathing the only sound in the room. It was the first time today- the first time in her life- that she'd ever been without somebody beside her.

The room felt very cold and small all of a sudden.

She moved closer to the bed, dropping her backpack on the floor and placing her handbook on the bedside table before stripping down, removing her clothes and dumping them in a haphazard pile on the floor. She went to the wardrobe and peeked inside looking for sleepwear, but it was filled only with identical copies of the outfit she'd been wearing today. The chest of drawers also yielded no fruit, containing spare panties and bras in her size but no pajamas.

"Guess I'm sleeping in the nude then." She said with disapointment. Heading into the bathroom to brush her teeth, she caught a glimpse of herself in the body-length mirror hung on the back of the en-suite door, and paused.

She ran her eyes over her own naked form, searching for any kind of clue that would tell her who she was. A scar, a tattoo, an unusual blemish or birthmark…

All she found was a confused, morose, normal looking girl staring back at her.

"…Don't know what I was expecting." She mumbled, turning to the sink and picking up the provided toothbrush.

A few minutes later and with a fresh-feeling mouth, Kaede slid under the covers of her bed. There was a light switch for the room placed conveniently by the headboard, saving her from fumbling her way to the bed in the dark. She flicked it, and the room fell into darkness.

But not a total darkness. There was a faint pastel pink light peeking out of the opening to her backpack by the side of her bed, only now visible because of the shadows.

"…" Kaede stared at it from her pillow. Her handbook was on the bedside table, turned off. So the only things in that pack were the knife, the cards, the spare vest, the physics book Angie had given them…and the other handbook. The one that supposedly didn't work. The one that only she had.

Tentatively, she slid a hand out from the duvet, snaking to the bag and pulling it up by the top strap onto the bed. She unzipped it, her mouth dry, and pulled out the very functioning tablet that was lit up with a bright pink backlight, hurting her eyes.

There was no menu or UI on this one. It displayed only purple text, with the option to scroll down to read it all.

_To: Kaede Akamatsu_

_So…here we are once again. I imagine you're very, very confused about a lot of things. But there's no reason to worry- all will become clear by the end, one way or another. That's how it always goes._

_My name is Kaede Akamatsu. Consider this a letter from your past self who has all her memories intact, to her current self who does not. This is a special perk that we and we alone may receive. Don't bother asking Monokuma for any more information- he isn't privy to the contents of this letter, though he is aware it exists._

_Your role here is very special, and it's crucial you survive to the end of this game. What method you choose to employ to do that is of course, up to you- surround yourself with trustworthy allies and avoid becoming a victim, or commit a murder of your own. Should you choose the latter, be aware that the consequences for getting caught are…severe, and you only have one chance, so it must be a perfect crime. Some old friends of ours were left for you in your backpack along with this handbook- they are the key that will ensure your victory._

_Whatever path you take, remember this wisdom: Using people is the most valuable talent of all. Weave your webs in such a way that when time comes to lay blame, all they can do is point at each other._

_But above all else- remember to have fun :p It's a game, after all._

_-Kaede Akamatsu_

After she had finished reading it, the handbook turned off on its own accord, becoming little more than a thin paperweight once more. The bedroom was finally without light completely.

Hands shaking, Kaede threw it across the room. It hid the wall with a heavy  _thunk_ , but didn't so much as crack. She shoved her pack off the side back onto the floor and pulled the duvet close, shrinking into the queen-size bed and trying desperately to forget what she'd seen.

After around three hours of shaking and turning over with swirling thoughts, Kaede entered a fitful sleep.

_**Monokuma Theatre** _

_**Humans fear the unknown. What they don't recognize or understand. Because that reminds them that humans don't know everything, don't control everything. Not yet. Do you think that one day, when humans have learned everything and conquered everything, fear will no longer exist?** _

_**Of course, I already don't fear anything. Because I'm not human. Not yet.** _

**16 Students Remain**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took another 7k words, but the first day is finally over. Now we can really get into the swing of things.
> 
> I threw together a map of the first floor for reference: https://imgur.com/xGLc2NO


	7. Day II: Venom

" _ **Gooooood morning students! It is now 7AM, and the start of a new day at the Ultimate Academy! Make sure you all put in lots of effort today**_!" Monokuma's voice blared over the speakers.

Blearily, Kaede opened her eyes. Her arms and legs were tangled in her bedsheets from her tossing and turning throughout the night, and her thoughts kept stalling in her head. She lay there for about a minute, pretending that nothing was wrong and pressing her face needily into her pillow.

However, biological urges quickly won over refusal to face the day, and she crawled out of bed and slunk her way to the bathroom. A quick use of the facilities later, she returned to the main room, flicked on the lights and started picking fresh clothes out of her wardrobe to wear.

She pointedly didn't look at the handbook lying on the floor innocently next to the wall.

Still, no matter how much she tried to shut it out, the memory of what she'd read persisted. Kaede Akamatsu…didn't seem to be a very nice person. Someone fine with the idea of killing, who even considered it fun. Someone who seemed to have known things about Monokuma's killing game before it even started.

' _It could just be something Monokuma made up to spook you_.' She reasoned to herself as she slipped into her skirt.  _'Making everyone paranoid and distrustful of each other is his goal, after all. If anyone ever found that handbook, I'd be a target. So why not plant something incriminating to try and incite someone to kill me_?'

Finishing getting dressed, she sighed. There was a part of her, a small whisper that told her Monokuma wouldn't do that. He would conceal things, omit the whole truth and mislead people, but he would never outright lie, fabricate evidence or break his own rules.

And the fact that she subconsciously seemed to know little details like that in itself was evidence, wasn't it?

Gritting her teeth, she walked over and scooped the handbook off the floor. Her face looked back at her from the blank screen.

"…Even if it's true." She whispered. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to play by your rules. You aren't me. Not anymore."

There was no reply, and suddenly Kaede felt very stupid, talking to her own reflection.

She moved over to the chest of drawers, and buried the handbook under a layer of underwear. It wasn't turning on anymore, but she couldn't run the risk of anyone finding it anyway, just in case. Regardless of whether or not it was true, it  _would_  make people suspicious and resentful of her.

Thinking for a moment, she went over to her backpack and gingerly removed the combat knife and spare vest, wrapping the deadly weapon in the cloth, and then put that deep in the drawer as well. She put her regular handbook into the pack, then slung it over her shoulders and headed to the front door.

Stepping out into the hallway, she was greeted by the sight of Miu also exiting her room.

"…Good morning." Kaede said cautiously. She wouldn't say she  _disliked_  anyone here, but Miu could be a bit…much.

"Tch…nothing good about it." Miu grumbled. "Did you only have a bunch of copies of your outfit too?"

"You know, you're usually supposed to say good morning back…" Kaede quipped, to which Miu only glared. "…But yes, I did."

"It's fucking bullshit." Miu griped as the two started walking toward the atrium. "I'm a cosplayer. A  _cosplayer_. Clothes are my whole  _thing_ , I can't wear the same old casual rags the rest of my life!"

"Well, once we all get out of here together, you can wear whatever you want!" Kaede said with a smile and a bounce in her step.

Miu glanced away, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers. "…The goody two shoes bit really isn't an act, is it? I bet the sun shines out your naive asshole."

'… _I don't know why I bother_.' Kaede thought, deflating.

The two quickly came to the food court, and sure enough the barrier had been lowered now that morning had arrived. Tsumugi was already there, and by the way the tables and surfaces were spotless and gleaming compared to last night, Kaede would wager she'd arrived before the morning announcement so she could get in to clean the moment the barrier came down.

Ryoma, Korekiyo, and Gonta were there also, scattered around the tables. Kaede's gaze was drawn to Ryoma, who was sipping at a cup of coffee and nibbling at some toast and eggs. She recalled his offer of support in hatching an escape plan, and made a mental note to arrange a meeting with him and Shuichi later.

Miu noticed where she was looking, and raised an eyebrow. "Damn, girl…I knew you were easy, but I didn't think your standards were  _that_  low."

"…Sorry, I don't think I quite caught that." Kaede said with a very tight smile as she turned to her companion. "Care to repeat it?"

The cosplayer blushed, and placed a hand on her own cheek with a spaced out expansion.

"Hehe…first you got in good with that beta boytoy Shuichi, and already you're moving on to the midget for something a little more kinky." Miu seemed positively excited at the thought. "God, you're such a slut…"

Kaede just stared at her, then turned and walked away, leaving the girl to her own imagination.

' _One of these days, I'm not going to be able to resist yelling at her, or giving her a slap_.' She thought icily. ' _Though she'd probably enjoy that_ …'

She went up to the food counter, where Tsumugi had laid out a spread of breakfast options for anyone to come up and take. Cereal, fresh fruit, toast, eggs, bacon and sausage, soup, rice, grilled fish….it was rather overwhelming. There was also a kettle, various teas, a pot of ground coffee beans, a bowl of sugar and a pitcher of milk for drinks.

The industrious maid was just finishing pouring out a cup of tea for Gonta, who had moved a chair closer to the counter to sit at it bar-style, and was looking at Tsumugi with an awed expression.

"Morning, you two." Kaede greeted as she approached. "You did all this in under 10 minutes, Tsumugi?" It was currently 7:09, so there was still a while for people to get here for the meeting time.

"Good morning, Kaede. I hope you slept well." Tsumugi responded as she set the kettle down and curtsied. "And, it was nothing. It plainly wouldn't do to leave the kitchen unattended when I am solely responsible for the food."

"Miss Shirogane is amazing!" Gonta gushed as he took a sip of his tea, the tiny cup looking comical in his gargantuan hands. "She is very classy lady- offered to teach Gonta about being gentleman!"

"You did?" Kaede asked curiously, remembering Tsumugi anxiously trying to pull away and wipe down the tables last night before curfew. ' _She's certainly polite, well spoken and desperate to please…a little too desperate. I don't know if I'd call her 'classy_ '…'

"Oh, Gonta's mission has spoken to my heart." Tsumugi said happily, clasping her hands together. "To turn a plain ruffian into a noble sophisticate…it's practically storybook, isn't it?"

"I think it's a bit rude to call him a 'ruffian'." Kaede said with a frown, but Tsumugi continued on.

"I've served all manner of high society and high profile clients, and I know a lot about etiquette." The maid gushed. "I've also helped with the education of young heirs to an extent. I can help you, Gonta- soon you won't be the Ultimate Tennis Pro, but the Ultimate Gentleman!"

"Wow, really?!" Gonta's eyes lit up in childlike wonder, then he paused and thought for a moment. "But…Gonta still want to keep playing tennis. Can Gonta do both?"

"Of course, of course." Tsumugi said placatingly.

"I actually mentioned this to Gonta when we first met, about setting up some sort of study group?" Kaede suggested, causing the two to look at her. "We can use the library, not just to help Gonta but also for our own studies. Just because we're prisoners here doesn't mean we aren't high school students, and it will give us something to do."

"Oh, that sounds like a marvelous idea." Tsumugi said with a beaming smile, and once again Kaede felt that strange flip of her stomach she'd had while talking to Angie at dinner. "I doubt everyone will be interested, but it will help people band together if they have a goal to work towards."

"Gonta very grateful to two of you." The large boy said formally, and bowed.

Kaede nodded to him, then took a bowl of miso soup and a cup of green tea for herself and moved to a table to eat her breakfast as they waited for everyone to arrive. She couldn't help but wonder why Gonta was so fixated on the idea of being a gentleman in the first place.

As she ate her breakfast, she observed the slow but steady stream of arriving students. Everyone who was already here before her were those who were used to rising early. Tenko, Angie, Shuichi and Keebo arrived a minute or so before 7:15, the type to not be late but not go out of their way to be early either. Tojo stepped over the food court boundary at exactly 7:15, taking the definition of punctuality a little too literally.

Everyone else were those to have a rather looser definition of schedules. Kaito stumbled in at 7:17, hair still damp from a hasty shower.

"Sorry guys, my bad. You didn't start without me, did you?" He laughed it off, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning.

Kokichi and Rantaro strolled in at 7:20, having apparently gotten distracted. Specifically, Kokichi had pestered Rantaro to do a card trick in the dormitory hallway and the magician lost track of the time.

Maki strode in at 7:22, and offered no excuses or explanations as to her lateness. No one was eager to press the grouchy girl on it.

The breakfast meeting was quite lively as everyone chatted to each other over food, when Himiko slithered in at a whopping 7:34.

"Himiko! Thank goodness, I was just about to go and check up on you!" Tenko fretted at the redhead's sullen approach to the food court. "I was worried abo-"

"No talking. Only coffee." Himiko snipped as she sidled up to the counter, and poured herself a cup.

"Ah…of course. Help yourself!" Tenko said, unphased.

Not everyone was as understanding, however.

"Himiko, I understand that you aren't a very energetic individual." Angie lectured from across her bowl of rice. "But we agreed to meet at 7:15, yes? Please be on time in the future."

"One or two minutes is one thing, but you had us waiting for quite a while." Ryoma said. "In this situation, someone not turning up is…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. "We were concerned."

Himiko ignored the reprimands, adding a large splash of milk and three sugars to her coffee. She glanced up at Tsumugi behind the counter. "Nyeh…marshmallows and strawberries."

"…Pardon?" The maid responded, hands fretting at the hem of her apron.

"Marshmallows and strawberries." Himiko said again, more forcefully but with no further clarification.

"Um…I think I understand. Give me just a moment." Tsumugi left to go dig around in the kitchen, then returned a moment later with a tub of marshmallows and a bowl of fresh strawberries. "Is this satisfactory?" She asked, placing them on the counter.

Himiko gave no reply, instead immediately placing one, two, three marshmallows into her drink, which was starting to resemble coffee less and less. She gave it an experimental stir with a teaspoon, then raised it to her lips and took a tentative slurp. Nodding in satisfaction, she placed the cup back down, picked up a strawberry, and dunked it into the coffee.

The students could only watch in horror as the miniature detective bit into the sugar and caffeine soaked fruit with a soft crunch, letting out a happy meow-like noise.

"U-um, moving on from that..." Keebo broke the awkward silence, looking disturbed. "What is to be our first topic of discussion, now that we are all here?"

"As mentioned last night, we should properly investigate the Ultimate Labs that Monokuma talked about." Rantaro said. "And I think we should split into four groups of four to do it, then reconvene here to discuss what we find."

"I call dibs on going with Tojo!" Kokichi yelled, to which the robot girl smiled at him softly.

"So, I'm guessing that the person whose lab it is will be the head of each of those groups?" Maki said. "After all, Monokasei mentioned to us last night that the labs only open to the handbook of the respective student."

"Um…which one's Monokasei again?" Kaito asked.

"The pink one."

"Who cares about that?!" Miu snarked. "Let's just divide into teams already and get this over with so I can go back to sleep."

With that, they quickly began organizing into groups. Kaede quickly caught Ryoma's gaze and jerked her head. Nodding, he headed over to stand with her and Shuichi. Keebo also strode over to them.

"Is it all right if I join your group, Shuichi?" The scientist asked politely. "I am curious to see what kind of setup an Entomologist lab has."

"Of course, you're more than welcome." Shuichi said with a smile. Personally, Kaede wasn't looking forward to meeting even more creepy and gross bugs, but it was an investigation.

Gonta, Korekiyo and Tenko agreed to investigate the Tennis Lab, since they were the three most athletic students. After bugging Himiko for a while (Who was still sleepily munching strawberries), Tenko managed to convince her to join them as well.

Tsumugi, Angie, Kokichi and Tojo were headed to the Maid Lab, which left Kaito, Maki, Rantaro and Miu with the Artist lab.

"Alrighty- let's meet up here in an hour or so to discuss what we've found, yes?" Angie chirped after everyone had grouped up, receiving a variety of murmurs and nods of agreement in response. "Excellent."

Everyone quickly dispersed, either out of genuine enthusiasm or simply to try and get the chore over and done with. Kaede found herself trailing at the back of the procession of Shuichi and Gonta's combined groups, heading for the labs in the red corridor. Next to her was Himiko, who still looked exhausted and uninterested.

Arriving at the door with the bug symbol on it, the two groups split as Gonta, Tenko, Korekiyo and Himiko went to unlock the Ultimate Tennis Pro's lab.

Shuichi glanced first at the cartoonish drawing of a bug on the door in front of them, then to the card reader. "So…I just swipe this across it, right?" He asked as he fished his handbook out of his pocket.

"That is what Monokuma claimed, yes. It should work in the same way as our dorm rooms." Keebo said.

Nodding, Shuichi held his device up to the card reader. There was a brief moment of silent, then a small beeping noise, followed by the soft click of the door unlocking.

"You did it, Shuichi!" Kaede cheered. "Now we can see…" She remembered all too late exactly what this room contained. "…what's inside." She finished with a much less confident inflection.

"Heh…scared of bugs, are you?" Ryoma said with a smirk.

"I am not…scared of them." She protested, face flushing. "I just…am not particularly fond of them!"

Any further protests died as Shuichi gently pushed the door open, and stepped into the room. Keebo eagerly following him closely. Ryoma also stepped forward, turning in the doorframe to look back at Kaede with a raised eyebrow.

"…Alright, maybe I am a  _little_  scared of them." She admitted sheepishly.

"There isn't any shame in that." Ryoma said, chewing on his candy cigarette thoughtfully. "There's a lot of scary things in this world. What matters is what you do with that fear." Then, he turned and also entered the room.

' _He's always got some kind of cool line to give_ … _does he practice those_?' Kaede thought wryly. Then, steeling her nerves, she entered the room.

She was immediately struck by the heat and humidity. While not overwhelming, it was notably more muggy in this room than anywhere else in the complex, due to the large heat lamps on the ceiling. The walls were painted a deep green, and a several leafy ferns were placed in decorative pots to add some flavor to the room. A large, circular oak desk that looked suitable for several people to sit around sat in the center of the room, with a variety of scientific looking dishes and odd devices, as well as a pair of protective gloves and goggles. To top it off, a surveillance camera was rather inconspicuously placed high in one corner of the room.

But the true showpiece of the room took up a large portion of the entire wall to the left of the door, then rounding the corner and continuing onto the opposite wall for a fair distance - a network of shelves which all had in-built terrariums.

The collection of insects was truly impressive, with a variety of container sizes all with meticulous labels. Kaede shivered uncomfortably as she saw movement within the boxes.

Shuichi was far more excited to be here. "Amazing!" He gushed, running over to practically shove his nose against the glass, peering at each specimen one by one. "This is even more impressive than my personal collection! I can see a  _Dryocampa Rubicunda_ …and a brown recluse spider…is that an Atlas beetle?!"

Keebo on the other hand, was in another section of the room: a pair of bookcases on the shorter wall to the right of the door, filled with various bug-related journals, encyclopedias and even magazines.

"Hm…fascinating…" The inventor mumbled to himself, running a gloved finger along the spines. "Not really my field of expertise, but…I wonder…"

"Well, those two are lost in their own little worlds already." Ryoma chuckled, hands in his pockets.

"Yeah…it's nice to see Shuichi so energetic." Kaede said, smiling despite her discomfort. "It is a really impressive collection."

"Just goes to further show how much resources our captor has." Ryoma nodded in agreement as the two of them wandered about, walking down the side of the large table toward the back of the room. "I don't know much about bugs, but I imagine a lot of these things would have to be expensive and difficult to both capture and then transport. Probably laws about them to navigate, too. Not to mention the hassle in having them looked after."

"Could they also be some kind of scientist, do you think?" Kaede suggested as they came to a little alcove at the far end of the room, the space being filled by several tall glass-windowed cabinets.

"It's a possibility. Or perhaps…huh." Ryoma trailed off as he looked at the cabinets. "Well, that's concerning."

Following his gaze, Kaede's jaw tensed as she saw the contents of the units. "Venom samples…" There was one large cabinet filled to the brim with said samples, all contained in handily labelled glass bottles. The other cabinet was filled with venom antidotes, similarly labeled. And in between the two was a metal worktop with a built in medical sink to one side. A variety of syringes and needles were arranged with precision, gleaming innocently in the bright light.

Kaede sighed, looking downcast as she crossed her arms. "No prizes for guessing why Monokuma put these here. Thank god only Shuichi can access this room…" Shuichi wasn't the type to kill someone. Kaede could feel it in her gut.

"Yeah, I don't think we need to worry about  _him_  using these for anything nefarious." Ryoma agreed. "Still…it's something to definitely keep an eye on." Moving closer, he tried the doorknob on one of the cabinets. It budged a little, but firmly remained closed. "Hm…looks like it's locked. They don't have a card reader, either. Just a regular keyhole, but no sign of the key."

"What's doesn't have a card reader?" Keebo's voice came from behind them. Turning, Kaede saw him and Shuichi approaching. Keebo was holding a thick looking hardback book in his gloved hands, which Shuichi kept glancing at and looking thoughtful. "Oh my!" The inventor exclaimed as he noticed the venom cases.

"Let me guess…Monokuma put these here as 'weapons', huh?" Shuichi said neutrally, looking at them. "Hm…well, I don't think we need to worry too much about that…"

"Y-yeah, what Shuichi said!" Kaede quickly agreed. "I mean, they're locked right? No one can get at them without the key."

"That is true…however, the windows are made of glass." Keebo pointed out, sweating a little. "Could one not simply break the glass to get at the venom?"

"Not a chance." Shuichi shook his head seriously. "Not without risking cutting themselves on the glass, and believe me, you don't want to handle venom with exposed skin, and absolutely not with fresh cuts."

"There's a pair of protective gloves on the table over there, though." Ryoma pointed out. "Goggles too. Depending on what else they were wearing, they could have enough protection. And all of this isn't accounting for them finding that key somewhere in the building."

"T-that's…well, um…" Shuchi faltered. "They'd still need to access this room in the first place, which isn't possible without my help."

"That is true…" Keebo added on, narrowing his eyes. "Or rather, you specifically could access these samples any time you wanted, Shuichi…"

"But, I wouldn't…I would never…" Shuichi protested weakly, much less confident in his stance.

"Come on Keebo- Shuichi wouldn't do that. He's not that kind of guy." Kaede said forcefully. Thinking back to what Angie said last night about Tenko, she continued hesitantly. "And…even if he was, why would he use a weapon that can be easily traced to him?" She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but Shuichi shot her a thankful look anyway.

"I…that is true, yes." Keebo admitted with a penitent look. He quickly turned and bowed to the flustered boy. "My apologies- the atmosphere of this place is beginning to get the better of me, I fear."

"No, there's no need to be sorry." Shuichi said. "This is definitely a situation where we're going to need to be rather skeptical, and very careful. Just so long as it doesn't descend into paranoia- that would just serve to escalate things."

"Well said." Kaede said, fixing Shuichi with a proud smile. "So, what do you guys think we should do with these? Is there no way we can get rid of them?" She gestured to the cabinets. "If we can break into that cabinet with protective gear, can't we just pour them down the drain or something?"

 _"Get rid of them? How mean! Uncle worked really hard to get that stuff!_ " Came an increasingly familiar voice from near the lab's entrance. Spinning, the quartet of student's were greeting by the grisly visage of Monokasei's head poking through the doorframe. She was far too large to fit any more of herself in, and her massive metal frame was crouched down in a position that would be highly painful for a human. " _Though_ … _I suppose if you want to, I can't stop that. It's not like it will matter anyways_ …"

"Y-you!" Keebo sputtered in shock. "How did you sneak up on us?"

 _"Oh, I can be very dainty when I need to be_." Monokasei said sweetly.

' _A several hundred pound metal monstrosity like that, dainty? I'll believe it when I see it_.' Kaede scoffed internally. "What are you doing here? We haven't broken any rules." She said with more bravado that she actually had.

Kasei's head titled slightly like a dogs. " _I'm doing my daily patrols, clearly. What, you thought we were gonna hang around on the upper floors and leave you to your own devices the whole time_?"

"No, but I wouldn't have complained if that were the case." Ryoma said bitterly as he put a new candy cigarette in his mouth from a pack in his jacket pocket.

'… _It's most likely a psychological tactic_.' Kaede realized. ' _They can already see everything going on with the surveillance cameras, so there's no real need for a patrol. But regularly seeing them walking about is going to intimidate us and be a constant reminder of the danger_.'

"What did you mean about getting rid of the venom 'Not mattering?'" Shuichi asked nervously.

 _"Oh! Well, I don't really know if I should be telling you this, but I suppose it doesn't really make too much of a difference if you know_." The robot began to explain. "W _e have way, waaaay more of that stuff in storage. Even if you get rid of it, Uncle will just replace it. Though we won't replace it if you actually use it_!"

"I see." Shuichi said with a sigh as he looked back at the cabinets. "Dammit…then there's not really anything we can do to safeguard it further…"

 _"Well, I gotta run! See you later, tater_!" The hulking Monodroid sang cheerfully as she removed her head from the room, before moving down the hallway with heavy steps.

"…Seriously, how did we not hear her sneak up on us?" Keebo was still reeling.

"Never mind that. We just learned something very important." Ryoma said seriously.

"Yeah…no matter what we do, that venom is going to stay there." Shuichi said with resignation.

However, Ryoma shook his head. "Not that, though that it is also a problem. Did none of you notice?" At everyone's blank looks, he smirked. "She couldn't fit inside this room."

"So? What does that-" Kaede started to say, but then it clicked. "Oh, of course!" She slapped her palm against her forehead. "If the Monodroids can't fit through doors, then that means…"

"…Even if we break a rule, we're safe so long as we're not in the lobby or the corridors." Shuichi finished, realization dawning.

"Oh, I see. That certainly seems like a major oversight on their part." Keebo added. "Still, that doesn't mean we should break rules recklessly. We can't hide in rooms forever, after all."

"Yeah. And we don't know for certain that those things are the only security measures Monokuma has up his sleeve." Ryoma continued. "Still…this is a potential weakness we can exploit down the line."

"That's definitely good. Nicely spotted, Ryoma!" Kaede giggled and reached out her hand to pat the short boy on the head encouragingly. He definitely wasn't expecting that, and his cigarette fell out of his mouth as he jumped in surprise.

"Don't do that." He fixed her with a disgruntled glare as she withdrew her hand.

"Ehe, sorry!" She apologized. Shuichi and Keebo glanced at other with barely constrained smirks.

"Oh, before I forget…" Kaede said after Ryoma had stopped giving her the stink eye. "What's that book you have there, Keebo?"

"Ah, well observed Miss Akamatsu!" Keebo responded, holding up said book. It was titled ' _Insectoid Textiles and Genetic Engineering, by Shuichi Saihara_.' "Do you perchance recall I was already familiar with some of Shuichi's research? I happened across this in those shelves over there, and I'd very much like to read it. It could very well impact some of my own projects, you see."

"Oh wow, you've published a book Shuichi? That's amazing!" Kaede told the entomologist, impressed.

"Ah hah, it's no big deal, really…It's just some dry academic stuff. Not like a bestselling novel or anything." He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "In fact, actually…no, nevermind."

"Something wrong?" She asked as the four of them began their exit out of the lab, satisfied with their search.

"It's nothing, really. Like I said, dry and academic. I don't want to bore you to tears." Shuichi said with a reassuring smile.

Shrugging, Kaede exited into the hallway, sighing in relief slightly as the door shut behind them with a click, relocking itself automatically. She was elated to be free from the presence of bugs…not that she'd ever say that to Shuichi's face.

* * *

"Hmph…this is honestly rather underwhelming." Tenko griped as she stared around the room. "Just looks like an indoor tennis court to me."

Indeed, the Ultimate Tennis Pro's lab was a large indoor tennis court, with the wide net and space for players to move about taking up the majority of the room. On the far end there was a pitching machine, which Gonta was currently fiddling with to set up. There was also an area set aside for more generic physical activity- training weights, a pummel horse, cushioned floor mats, a rack of sports wear to change into…there was also a smaller room with a door that locked from the inside, containing some shower cubicles.

Shoving her hands in her short pockets as she leaned against the wall, Tenko continued to eye the room critically. Next to her, the sleepy detective Himiko also kept sweeping her gaze across the room, looking a little more alert than earlier.

"Nyeh…exercise is a pain." She muttered, watching Korekiyo who was doing some light stretches in the workout area. "Hm…"

"W-well, it may be a pain, but it's also good for you, you know?" Tenko said awkwardly as she glanced down at Himiko. "Um, would you like me to show you some basic-"

"No thanks, I'm good." Came the immediate reply.

"Oh…okay." Tenko finished lamely.

"Hey friends!" Gonta's cheerful voice came booming across the room as he jogged up them, tennis racket in hand. "Isn't this room great? Now Gonta can play gentleman's game whenever he wants."

"How nice for you." Tenko said snippily, her disappointment quickly being replaced by annoyance.

If Gonta picked up on her disdain, he ignored it. "So, anyone want to have a game with Gonta? Gonta will go easy on you, promise?"

"Hmph…already trying to get the ladies tired and sweaty, are you? Don't think I haven't seen that trick before." Tenko hissed protectively.

Gonta's eyes widened in shock. "Gonta never do it for that reason! Gonta is gentlemen!"

"A gentleman, huh?" The adventurer thought on that for a moment, clearly unimpressed. "For your sake, I hope you are." She eventually replied.

Himiko watched the exchange with a bored expression, before getting up and wandering over to the equipment area where Korekiyo was, leaving a bickering Tenko and Gonta behind The martial art master had ceased stretching and was now testing the weight of one of the dumbbells experimentally.

"Hi." Himiko said simply as she approached, to which the mute glanced at her and nodded almost imperceptibly before returning to what he was doing.

She stood next to him quietly for a while, examining him pump the iron for a minute or so. "You can kill someone with one of those, you know." She finally said, as if she was talking about the weather.

Korekiyo paused, and lowered the weight, turning to her with what seemed to be a bemused expression.

"Nyeh…actually, anything within a certain size and weight limit can be used for blunt force trauma…people usually think of knives and things when they think of murder, but blunt force to the head isn't to be underestimated." She continued with surprising chatter.

Korekiyo placed the weight gingerly on the floor, to which Himiko shook her head.

"It's impossible to make any environment completely safe, you know? But we should still be careful with obvious threats, nyeh." She quickly glanced over her shoulder at the still arguing Gonta and Tenko.

Korekiyo followed her gaze, then turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Gonta is nice…too nice. Easy to trick, nyeh? Someone needs to keep an eye on him." She continued to ramble.

Korekiyo looked at her quizzically, as if to say ' _Why are you telling me this_?'

"You seem like someone who'd want to spend time in here, nyeh. Can you watch over Gonta for me?"

The masked fighter thought about it for a moment, before nodding wordlessly.

"Thanks."

"Himiko! Are you alright?" Tenko interrupted them as she rushed over fretfully, looking at Korekiyo suspiciously, Gonta plodding behind her.

"Nyeh…I'm not made of glass." Himiko muttered. "I'm a world class detective, after all." But it seemed to fall on deaf ears as Tenko continued to fuss over her, to which the littler red-head sighed.

' _What a pain_ …'

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Sorry for the long wait on this one guys, the past few months have been super busy on my end. Moving house, applying to uni, and being hit with a summer heatwave really limited my opportunity to write. Best rest assured this story is not dead!
> 
> Even though Kaede is our protag, I will occasionally swap to other points of view, so that not every establishing scene needs an excuse for Kaede to be there. I originally intended for this chapter to also include the scenes in the other two labs, but I decided to have next chapter start with those instead.
> 
> In other news, if you use fanfic dot net, the popular fic series A New Hope by scorpio116 has a few OC-centric spinoffs, in which two of my original Danganronpa characters feature. I encourage you to check it out!


	8. Day II: Stargazing

The Ultimate Artist’s lab was a colorful sight to behold.  As one would expect, there were various easels placed around the room, along with a large desk upon which an array of tools for everything from tiny brushes for detail work to giant hammers and chisels for sculpting. Next to the table in a corner of the room was a pile of white stone, stacked nearly to the ceiling for usage in said sculpting. Another corner of the room contained a pair of wooden crates filled with all sorts of other supplies.

What was unexpected however, was the amount of nature present in the room. The floor directly near the door was tiled like the corridor, but the rest of the room was taken up by grass-covered soil. A modestly sized red maple tree grew in the center of the room, and the ceiling was beautifully decorated with what seemed to be a highly accurate rendition of space, with a multitude of stars and swirling nebulae. It lit the room in a soft glow, accentuating the deep reds and greens of the foliage.

“Wow…it’s not truly outdoors like I’d want, but this is probably as close as I’m gonna get.” Kaito said, begrudgingly impressed as he looked around.

“The fuck? What’s all this nature shit doing in here?” Miu however, seemed disappointed. “I was expecting statues of naked people.”

“Nah, that ain’t my style.” Kaito said with a loud laugh. “The outdoors is where true beauty is at!”

“Well, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Rantaro interjected diplomatically. “And ‘art’ can be all kinds of things.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Kaito conceded, scratching the back of his neck. “I know the kind of stuff I make isn’t for everyone. What about you, Maki? What kind of-“ He jumped as he noticed the girl was no longer standing with them, and looked around. “Maki?”

Turning, the trio saw the young astronaut sitting by the tree, knees pulled up to her chest as she gazed at the diorama of stars with a strange expression on her face.

“Guess that answers your question right there…” Miu grumbled as the group walked up to her. “Hey, stony bitch! Don’t just walk off like that.”

“…I didn’t realize I needed your permission.” Maki bit back coldly, turning her head a fraction to fix the cosplayer with a glare. “Call me that again and you’ll regret it.”

Miu backed away at that, saying nothing but whimpering slightly and clutching at the edges of her skirt.

Both Kaito and Rantaro glanced at each other awkwardly, unsure what to make of this impromptu fight for dominance. A look of understanding passed between them, and they both nodded.

“Er, so Maki…” Kaito said after a brief cough, ignoring the previous exchange. “This is a pretty cool night sky, huh? As the Ultimate Astronaut, are you impressed?”

“…Yeah.” She said eventually, still staring up at the stars. “It looks extremely accurate…this isn’t a drawing or painting. It looks like data that the Hubble Space Telescope would send to Earth from deep space. And it’s a screen, actually.”

Sure enough, on closer inspection the ceiling was actually a glass display, and was the source of the rooms atmospheric lighting.

“Seems more like something that would belong in your lab, not Kaito’s.” Rantaro observed with a frown, to which Maki shrugged.

“Nah, that just means Maki’s lab is even more impressive!” Kaito proclaimed boisterously as he moved and sat down next to Maki under the tree in a lazy slouch. “Heh…I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve done pretty much this but with the real stars.”

Maki just stared at him with wide eyes. “…What do you think you’re doing?” She said icily, looking at the narrow distance between them.

“Thought you could use the company.” At her continued stare, Kaito relented a little bit. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna get too close or touch you. See? I’m like, fives inches away.”

Maki still seemed displeased, but she nodded wordlessly and returned to stargazing.

Rantaro stood a few feet away, watching with bemusement. ‘ _What ever happened to investigation_?’ He wondered. His head snapped up as he heard a soft ‘clink’ of metal from near the large table.

Moving quickly, he saw Miu standing over the array of tools, turning a chisel around in her hands and inspecting it.

Sneaking up behind her, he spoke in a deeper-than normal voice, one he liked to use for his stage shows to add a little flair to things. “And just what do you plan on doing with that?”

“Jesus FUCK!” Miu screamed, fumbling the chisel and dropping it the table. She spun around with fury and panic, sweating slightly. “Don’t do that, asshole!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry.” Rantaro chuckled, returning to his casual tone. “That was cruel of me. That said…” His smile became fixed on his face uncomfortably as he gave Miu a hard look. “My question still stands. What are you planning on doing with that?” His cape fluttered slightly as he stood up to his full height, and the rooms astral light seemed to shimmer ominously off his capes runic designs.

“Back off, you sparkly dick! It’s not what it looks like!” Miu protested angrily, putting her hands on her hips and huffing. “I was just thinking, if I can get a hold of a little bell to attach to this, it would be a great cosplay prop!”

Rantaro blinked, not expecting that answer. “A…chisel with a bell is a cosplay prop? How?” He asked with confusion, dropping his interrogative demeanor. ‘ _Also_ … _sparkly dick_?!’

“Tch, of course a pleb like you doesn’t get the reference.” Miu scoffed, flipping her voluminous blonde tresses back with her hand.  “You’ve seriously never played Turnabout Lawyers?”

“…Can’t say that I have. That’s a…game?” The magician asked cautiously.

Miu was shaking her head ruefully. “Disgraceful. The moment we get out of here, I’m forcing you to sit and down and play every last game in the series, and you’re going to like it.”

“I look forward to it.” Rantaro said even felt a shiver run down his spine. Although…he supposed it was possible that trying to get people to partake in her hobbies was her own roundabout way of being friendly.

‘ _Still, these tools are all concerning_ …’

Back by the tree, Maki glanced over her shoulder disapprovingly when Miu yelled and dropped the chisel. “…She’s loud and annoying.”

“Heh, you said it.” Kaito said with a smile.

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“Hey, I can be quiet and chill when I need to be!” Kaito protested. Almost in demonstration, the two fell into silent contemplation once more. After a few more minutes, he spoke again. “So…do you know what part of space this is? Like, what nebula is that?”

“…I don’t know. It’s not one I’ve seen before.” Maki mumbled, looking troubled. “It must be recently captured data.”

* * *

 

The Ultimate Maid Lab was divided into three bizarrely clashing sections, much to the embarrassment of Tsumugi (And the delight of Kokichi). The first section, taking up the left side of the room, was akin to a large utility area. Extra washing machines in addition to the ones from the laundry room, dishwashers, dryers, several expensive looking vacuums, and supplies of cleaning products and rubber gloves.

The middle of the room, in stark contrast, was a mashup of ‘high society’ with no apparent cohesive theme. It was separated from the other sections by Japanese style sliding doors, with a marble tiled floor, but walls of smooth grey stone with lit torches like a medieval castle. It had a Victorian looking oak dining table, with an array of expensive looking silverware. Seated at the table were several mannequins: A king and queen, a shogun, and a man in a modern suit with dark sunglasses.

And the final third of the room was…

“Oh my god, a maid café! I’ve always wanted to go to one of these!” Kokichi giggled in delight as he threw open the sliding door, taking in the sight. There were several booths for customers to sit at, various menus and posters on the walls, and the counter from which to order, which had fridges for both drinks and chilled deserts behind it, which appeared fully stocked.

And, naturally, various mannequins of girls in maid uniforms on roller skates, arranged around the room as if they were going from table to table, some with trays of food balanced on a single hand. Most of whom had uniforms far too small for them.

“T-this is _not_ the sort of thing I do!” Tsumugi protested with a flushed face as her eyes darted around the café. “This…this is…oh my…”

“A maid café, hmm?” Angie said with a curious tone. “I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never had the chance to be in one before.”

“Well, you definitely should.” Kokichi insisted, already raiding the fridges behind the counter for cake, gleeful upon realizing they were not locked. “They’re a _vital_ part of Japan’s culture, after all.”

“Is that so? Hm…” Angie pulled out a thick book from inside her tunic- the same one she’d been reading from at dinner last night- along with a pen, and flipped through it until she reached a certain page. “I’ll be sure to add it to my list of potential research topics.” She explained, jotting it down.

“Ahh, Angie?” Tsumugi interjected sweetly. “If you want to experience Japanese culture, I’m sure we can find you something better than that. Something a bit…more refined.”

“Eh? This is plenty refined.” Kokichi said as he stuffed his mouth with cake, now sitting in one of the booths with his feet on the table, getting crumbs over his already stained jacket.

Tsumugi looked like she was going to have an aneurysm, but still continued. “Ahem…something like one of our beautiful shrines, or monuments, or-“

“Oh, of course I’m interested in those things as well.” Angie cut her off, tucking the book back into her clothes. “But Atua is present in both the mightiest tree, and the humblest ant.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Tsumugi asked in confusion.

“Meaning, I am interested in _all_ aspects of society, regardless of whether they are ‘refined’ or not.” Angie said with a hum.

“Oh…well, I guess with your job, you kind of have to…” Tsumugi mumbled, turning back to face the other two-thirds of the room. “Still, I can’t say I personally am going to get much enjoyment out of that sort of activity...or this room in general. At least I have cleaning supplies…” She trailed off as she noticed the fourth member of their group, who had been quiet up until now. “Is everything alright, Tojo?”

The robot girl was gazing forlornly at the mannequins seated around the dining table. Upon being addressed, she jumped a little. “Ah…my apologies. I was merely…lost in thought.”

“Oh, oh, Tojo!” Kokichi grinned as he got up from his seat and bounded over, pushing a plate of chocolate pudding into her hands. “You should try this, it’s great!”

“Ah…” Tojo looked down at the food clutched awkwardly in her metal hands. “Thank you, Kokichi, but I am afraid I cannot eat this.”

“Oh, right. Because you’re a robot.” Kokichi said as if the thought had just occurred to him. “But don’t worry, you’re still way cooler than those dolls!”

“Kokichi, that’s rude and cruel.” Tsumugi chastised him. “Honestly, do you have no manners or restraint at all?”

“Please…it’s fine.” Tojo insisted, placing the plate gently on the table. “As the Ultimate Robot, I am supposed to be as human-like as possible. But how can that be when I cannot even eat, or sleep? Kokichi is right to call me out- I don’t deserve to be here with the rest of you, to call myself an Ultimate.”

“Uh, none of us deserve to be here, because we were all kidnapped.” Tsumugi corrected, but it went unheard as Kokichi patted Tojo on her metal arm.

“Ah, don’t be so down. I say jokes like that to everyone, and sometimes, yeah, I can be pretty mean spirited.” Kokichi admitted, face surprisingly contrite. “But I’m not lying when I say you’re cool! You absolutely _do_ deserve to be imprisoned here like that the rest of us!”

Tojo smiled softly. “I see. I am glad you think so, and I will have to try harder to meet your expectations.”

Tsumugi simply groaned and slapped her forehead with her palm. ‘ _Am I the only sane one in this room_?’

Meanwhile, Angie stood to the side observing the interaction, writing carefully into her book once more.

* * *

 

After around half an hour, all four groups gathered back in the food court. And Monomizu was waiting for them.

The large robot stood with unnerving stillness by the base of the statue, only inclining his head slightly in the direction of the approaching students, but otherwise doing or saying nothing.

Most of the other students were rather quiet as they gathered, shooting him rather worried looks as they took seats of the various tables. A few however, were more bold.

“Hiya, Mr. Monodroid!” Angie waved happily at the deadly guardian. “What brings you here this morning, hm?”

“Uhh, is it a good idea to talk to that thing?” Kaito muttered with worry, receiving several agreeing nods and murmurs.

 **"Oh, please do not pay me any mind. >** The blue robot said politely. **"I am merely here to observe. Please, hold your meeting."**

“We saw the other one while we investigating, as well. Apparently they have ‘daily patrols’.” Kaede explained with an annoyed huff. “There isn’t really much we can do about that, so let’s just talk about what we found.”

Before anyone else could speak, Kokichi spoke up excitedly. “Tsumugi’s lab is awesome, it’s a maid café! With the roller skates and everything!”

Tsumugi let out a strangled cry, face flushing scarlet as she struggled to find a response.

“Ohoho, is that true?” Miu’s eyes glinted with mischief. “I knew it- I bet the whole reason you became a maid is so you can provide ‘special service’ to your ‘masters’, huh?”

“Wh-what?” If Tsumugi’s face could barely contort any further into frustration. “That is _not_ what I-“

“Ahem, Kokichi’s report is only partially accurate.” Tojo came to the maid’s rescue. “The room was divided into sections, of which the café was one. The other parts were a stylized fancy dining room, and the final and most useful portion was a utilities area with a wide variety of cleaning supplies.”

“Oh, I think I understand.” Keebo said thoughtfully. “All three parts are the different ways maids are often perceived in society…As working class cleaners, as servants of high society, or as…well…” He trailed off with a cough.

“Yes, yes. We get it.” Tenko said tersely. She then got out of her seat and walked over to Tsumugi, placing a hand on her shoulder kindly. “Are you alright, Tsumugi? You seem pretty bothered by your lab.”

“Oh…it’s nothing too important.” Tsumugi said as she adjusted her glasses. “It just…really bothers me when my profession is made out to be…uncouth like that. Most likely Monokuma designed the room that way because he knew it would annoy me…”

“Really? Cause my lab was pretty much as close to my tastes as it could be.” Kaito said with a pensive expression. “All the supplies I need for sculpting and painting, but also a lot of nature stuff. But…there was one thing that seemed out of place…”

“Out of place?” Kaede asked curiously, trying to think back to Shuichi’s lab. “In what way?”

“Well, the ceiling was this big hi-tech display of space.” Kaito explained. “It’s pretty cool, but that seems more like the kinda thing that would be in Maki’s lab, you know?” He looked at Maki expectantly.

Maki blinked as she felt everyone’s gaze fall to her, then shrugged. “Yeah, it’s as he said. Don’t ask me what it means, because I have no idea either.”

“Anything else of note?” Himiko spoke up suddenly, making Kaede jump. The tiny detective had at some point acquired another cup of coffee, though mercifully she was drinking it with just milk and sugar this time. “For example…these ‘supplies’?”

“Like Kaito said, there’s plenty of tools for painting and sculpting.” Rantaro said with a grave look. “And it’s the sculpting ones that worry me. Hammers, chisels, even saws and nails…in other words, potential murder weapons.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees at that. “Oh…Rantaro, you should no say that, even as joke.” Gonta said nervously.

“No, he’s right.” Himiko said with a surprising forcefulness to her tone. “We need to be aware of these sorts of hazards so we can best plan around them. While we’re on the topic…Tsumugi, there are cleaning supplies in your lab?”

“Y-yes, that is correct…” Tsumugi confirmed, wringing her hands. “Are you implying…”

Himiko nodded, though it came across more like a drooping of her head, only to be quickly snapped back upright. “Nyeh…that stuff is almost always toxic. In the hands of someone who prepares our food…”

“But Tsumugi wouldn’t do that!” Kaede protested, coming to the defense of the shaken looking maid.

“I’m not saying she would.” Himiko conceded. “You are probably correct, nyeh. But it’s still a possibility, isn’t it? And if my hunch is right, it’s not just those two dangers we need to be careful of. Tenko, could you explain Gonta’s lab for us next?”

“Huh? Me?” Tenko stammered in surprise. “Yeah, of course! Let’s see…it’s an indoor tennis court, but it also has a workout area with equipment, and a shower section.”

“Hm…workout equipment, you say?” Angie hummed as she closed her eyes in thought. “Such as, say…dumbbells? Big, heavy things you can carry in your hands?”

Kaede bit her lip as she listened, Angie’s meaning obvious. It seemed all four labs were stocked with the tools required for Monokuma’s game to begin.

There was another tense silence, broken as Shuichi sighed resignedly. “…My lab is the worst of all. It has many dangerous insects in containment, as well as a cabinet stocked with venom samples. Some of them can probably kill a person within a minute.”

“V-venom? Within a minute?” Miu’s face turned a rather impressive shade of a green.

“Come on guys, whats with all the doom and gloom?” Kokichi laughed with a big grin on his face. “Didn’t we already promise each other not to do anything stupid? Come on, have a little faith in your friends!” His expression and words sounded uplifting, but Kaede could detect the slightest hint of mockery in his tone, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yes, we should have faith.” Angie said confidently, pressing her hands together in a prayer pose. “But faith that is not channeled appropriately is no good, you know?”

“…Channeled appropriately?” Ryoma spoke up. “Meaning?”

Angie didn’t reply immediately, thinking deeply for a moment. Then, she opened her eyes and stared with intensity around the table. “Who here can tell me, the three things you must have to commit a crime?”

“Hm? You need three things?” Gonta scratched his head in confusion. “Well, first you need…um…”

“It’s means, motive, and opportunity.” Himiko answered. “The weapons in the labs, as well as who knows what in the warehouse, are the means.”

“Yes, and there is little we can do to simply get rid of them.” Keebo added. “That other Monodroid told us that if we got rid of the venom, Monokuma would just restock it.”

Himiko blinked at that in surprise. “Did it? Nyeh…” The small red head thought on that for a moment as she took a sip of her coffee. “Hmm…hmm…no, its gone.”

“Gone? What’s gone?” Keebo seemed confused.

Himiko put her mug down and raised a hand grandly with a finger pointed upward. “I _almost_ had a genius, major breakthrough just now…but the theory slipped away. What a pain…” She sighed and lowered her hand back down.

“Do you…often ‘lose’ thoughts like that?” Shuichi asked with a tinge of concern.

“Can we stop getting sidetracked and let the kooky religious nut get to her damn point already?!” Miu interrupted, still looking a bit ill. “We get it, we have ‘means’ in the weapons that damn bear gave us. So the next one is motive, right?”

“Well, that one is pretty obvious: to get out of here!” Kokichi said cheerfully. “Not sure why you’d wanna, though. I think staying here is gonna be fun, personally!”

“…For the rest of us who aren’t degenerates, we of course all want to escape from here.” Tenko said with a snort. “…And unless another method of escape is found, ‘motive’ isn’t going to disappear either.”

“Hm, exactly.” Angie nodded. “Means and motive, we have no way of limiting at this point in time. But we _can_ limit opportunity.”

“Hm…that does seem a good idea. But how, exactly?” Kaede said. ‘ _The labs are already tied to the handbooks, so that’s already pretty secure…right_?’

“Oh?” Angie pressed her hands to her cheeks suddenly, squishing them. “Hmm…I don’t know!”

The group let out a collective groan at that. ‘ _I thought she actually had a suggestion, given how dramatic she was being with her point_ …’ Kaede thought to herself.

“Well for now, there’s not really much we can do besides keep on our toes.” Ryoma suggested. “So…what are we doing for the rest of the day?”

“I suppose that for the moment, we should simply…live.” Tojo said, brushing her artificial hair away from her eye. “Find a way to pass the time as best we can, while still being careful. We’ll meet up again at dinner time, if that is agreeable with everyone?”

“…Does that mean I can finally go back to bed?” Miu whined.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve got a ton of stress to work off.” Tenko said as she circled her shoulders to work out the kinks. “Gonta, let me into your lab.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.” Gonta nodded after a moment. “Anyone else welcome too, for work out or for gentleman’s game!”

Everyone started to disperse, some wandering off on their own, others agreeing to do some kind of activity with someone else. Kaede observed them all from her seat, conflicting emotions warring in her heart. Everyone was aware of how serious the danger was, but seemed optimistic in the face of it all. Seeing that made her want to remain hopeful, as well…but she couldn’t help but fear they were setting themselves up for a fall.

‘ _Well, there’s no use worrying about that now. There’s nothing I can do…_ ’ Kaede chided herself mentally, then pulled her handbook out of her backpack and consulted the map. ‘ _Now…what should I do today?_ ’

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done, we get to see the other two labs and up next is free time! Hope you all enjoyed.


	9. Day II: Teach, Persevere, Give Up

**FREE TIME**

* * *

 

Before Kaede could contemplate her schedule in much detail, someone else approached her first.

“Ah, Kaede.” Tsumugi still seemed a little ruffled from the various shenanigans that had just happened, a few stray blue hairs popping out from her bun. “If you’re free, I was thinking we could go over some plans for that study group idea you mentioned?”

“Are you sure?” Kaede asked in concern as she shoved her handbook back into her bag. “Not that I don’t want to, it’s just you seem a little stressed.”

Tsumugi sighed, hands instinctively reaching up to adjust her glasses. “Yes, frankly I’m reaching the end of my rope with the absurdity of all this, but the one thing that always calms me down is work, or a good workout.”

‘ _Workout_?’ Kaede was surprised- Tsumugi hadn’t really come across as the physically active type. ‘ _Although, didn’t she say something about bodyguard work earlier?_ ’

She did not voice her confusion however, and instead just nodded. “Alright, shall we head to the library then?”

The two did so, finding themselves in the first section of the library with seating, just before the maze of shelves. It was there they ran into their first snag.

“It’s so unorganized! Practically unusable!” Tsumugi lamented as she checked book after book on the shelves, with increasing dismay as she realized the lack of any proper categorizing. “It’s a plainly impressive collection, but absolutely no care has been given to its maintenance at all…”

Kaede huffed with exertion as she carted a tower of books in her arms to one of the desks. “Well…that’s probably…phew…” She panted as she placed them down, wiping sweat from her brow. “Our first task, then? Sort them into something more manageable?”

“Hm…” Tsumugi stopped and surveyed the room critically, biting her lip. “Even with my speed and work ethic, it could take us days to make any true headway in a library of this size, and then we’ll never get the actual study group started.”

“Okay, how about instead…” Kaede gestured at her pile. “We go through what can, and for now separate them into ‘potential study material’ and stuff that’s not relevant right now?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.” Tsumugi said as she pulled some more books over to a second table, and began to sort through them. “I don’t know how many people will be interested, but I imagine they’ll all have different needs education-wise. So we should probably aim for mostly introductory books for subjects if we can find them, but also…” She showed off the cover of what appeared to be a college level textbook on sociology. “Given her talent and how dedicated she is to it, this is too standardized for Angie and most likely stuff she already knows. She’ll want something highly niche to catch her eye.”

She continued to speak as the two of them got to work, using one table for potential material and one for rejected books. “On the other end of the scale, Gonta is behind everyone else and will need material that’s normally aimed at younger children. He is rather driven to learn, so hopefully we can move through that stage quickly. Now, for those with short attention spans like Miu or Kokichi, we’ll probably need to plan activities so they can learn while being entertained…”

Kaede listened with rapt attention. “Wow…you know a lot about teaching people, huh? That’s an admirable talent on its own.”

The industrious maid shrugged. “I’ve always performed whatever tasks my client requires. For a lot of noble families, my most requested service aside from general housekeeping is to educate their children. So yes, I had to become a teacher.”

“That’s amazing.” Kaede said honestly. She had no memory of any teachers, but the concept of helping nurture someone’s potential definitely pulled at some part of her in a pleasant way. “So, you’re kind of like a nanny?”

Tsumugi fumbled a book she pulling from the shelf and coughed slightly. “Ah…in a way, yes. However, I rarely did much in the way of looking after them outside of the classroom, other than cleaning up their mess. Supposedly Kokichi is more an expert in that field than me.” She clucked her tongue disbelievingly as she said it. “Though how exactly that is the case, I’m not sure. That boy can barely dress himself in anything that isn’t soiled in some way, never mind take responsibility for a child.”

“I think that’s a little harsh.” Kaede countered softly. “It’s true his clothing is rather...ragged, but we don’t know anything about his personal situation.”

“Hm…I suppose.” Tsumugi said noncommittedly as she carried on working, and Kaede found herself noticing the one thing that irked her about the maid- she was a bit of a snob. It wasn’t overt, but it was there, and it worried Kaede a little, especially in regards to Gonta’s upcoming lessons. Kaede didn’t want any potential negative fallout due to treating Gonta like a child, or like he was stupid, which she honestly didn’t think he was.

On the other hand, Tsumugi _was_ going above and beyond to provide help without asking for anything in return, and she clearly had a good track record. ‘ _I’ll just have to observe for now, and step in if needed._ ’

After what seemed like the sweatiest and longest hour of her life, Kaede’s arms were aching as she beheld the modest pile of books on the ‘acceptable’ table. Tsumugi’s ‘rejected’ table on the other hand was a veritable mountain, and the blue haired girl barely looked winded as she dusted off her apron.

“I suppose that will do for now.” She said cheerfully, and to Kaede it seemed like Tsumugi was almost glowing with satisfaction. She certainly seemed a lot less irritable than earlier. “Now we just need to arrange the group, and schedule out a lesson plan. But first.” She turned to the now slightly emptier shelves, hands on her hips. “Dusting! These are all in dire need of a good dusting.”

Kaede wasn’t particularly keen to do that, but she forced out a weak smile. “Do you want me to help you with that?”

“Oh no, no, that plainly won’t do.” Tsumugi brushed her off with a wave of her hand, not even glancing back. “You can take a break Kaede, go get some of the refreshments I left out in the food court.”

“Well…alright. See you in a bit then?” Admittedly, she could have resisted Tsumugi’s dismissal a little harder, but the idea of a quick snack and a chance to rest her sore limbs sounded pretty good right about now.

With that, Kaede exited the library and walked down the green corridor, leaving Tsumugi to do what she did best.

**RANK GAINED: THE MOON, UPRIGHT**

**ILLUSION, FEAR, ANXIETY, INSECURITY, SUBCONSCIOUS**

* * *

 

Shuichi sang softly to himself as he worked, pulling the insect habitats out from the shelving unit one by one and checking to make sure the tenants had enough food and the right conditions. It wasn’t any particular song or even one with words, just whatever melody came into his head. It was a habit he’d developed to help keep calm and focused when working, and he liked to think – though he had no rational basis for it- that his little friends felt comforted by it as well.

So caught up he was in the zone, he didn’t notice as someone slipped in through the ajar door and watched him for a moment.

“Damn Shuichi, I didn’t know you could sing!” Kaito said cheerfully after a moment, snapping Shuichi out of his daze and nearly causing him to fall off the stepladder he was using.

“A-ah! Kaito, um…” A bead of sweat trickled down his face as he gripped the terrarium tightly, ensuring he didn’t drop it. Carefully, he slid it back into its slot. “Um…how long have you been standing there?”

“Just a couple of seconds.” Kaito said, looking around the lab curiously. “Why, you embarrassed to be caught singing or something?” He finished with a laugh, obviously meaning it as joke.

A few seconds passed as he awaited Shuichi’s response, only to be met with awkward silence. “O-oh, my bad. Guess you were.” The artist backpedaled with a frown. “Sorry if I intruded- the door was open, so I thought you were open to receiving company.”

“Oh…I must have forgotten to shut it properly.” Shuichi muttered as he started to make his way down the steps, then froze. “Wait…does that mean you could hear me out in the hallway?”

“Uh, yeah man. From quite a bit into the food court, actually.” Kaito said with a serious face. “Sound bounces around a lot in a building like this.”

Shuichi reached the bottom of the ladder but kept descending, sinking into the floor and being swallowed up by the earth with a low moan. Or at least, that’s what he felt like doing. Instead, he just sort of squatted awkwardly.

Kaito observed this behavior with an ever-increasing frown, then stepped forward towards the mortified boy. “Come on, is it really that bad? So, me and maybe a few other people heard you sing. So what? It was pretty good, actually.”

Shuichi glanced up shyly at the man towering over him. “…Good?” He mumbled. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m serious!” Kaito said with enthusiasm, punching his fists together. “I mean, sure, you’re no Leon Kuwata, but it was all in tune and everything!”

Shuichi just shook his head even as he climbed to his feet. “It’s not about the tune. I just, ah…really hate how my voice sounds.” He admitted quietly.

“…Hate your own voice, huh?” Kaito pondered that for a second. “But then, why sing to yourself?”

Shuichi chuckled bitterly. “…Singing helps keep me calm. And yeah, I know that’s a contradiction. I never claimed it was a rational feeling.”

“Hm…” Kaito still seemed to be thinking hard, head bowed. “So you’re fine with your voice when you’re alone, but not when other people can hear it, huh?” Kaito looked up again, meeting Shuichi’s eyes. “You really worry about how other people perceive you, huh Shuichi?”

“Um…yeah.” Shuichi felt like a bug under a microscope right now as he squirmed under Kaito’s piercing gaze.

Kaito continued to stare a moment longer, before breaking out into a wide smile and pumping a triumphant fist. “Alright- so that’s your enemy!”

“My…enemy?” Shuichi blinked. ‘Just where is this going?’

“Everyone’s got an enemy they need to beat.” Kaito explained. “Can be something huge, something small- doesn’t matter. What matters is that you tackle it head on! I’m gonna help you break out of your shell, Shuichi!”

Alarm bells went off in Shuichi’s head. “Haha, you really don’t have to do that Kaito…” He said weakly. “I manage just fine-“

“Sure, you _manage_.” Kaito interrupted. “But why manage when you can _thrive_?” When Shuichi just stood there awkwardly again, Kaito sighed and looked off to the side. “You know, I had major artists block for nearly two years.”

Shuichi blinked in surprise. ‘ _Kaito had an art block? He’s one of the best modern artists in the world, what could have caused a slump in someone like him_?’

Kaito jerked his head towards the worktable, heading over himself and taking a seat. Shuichi hesitated for a moment, before following and sitting in a chair next to his apparent new ‘coach’.

“I’ve been doing art ever since I was little.” Kaito began to ramble, a wistful tone in his voice. “Course, I sucked majorly at first. Thing about art is, anyone can do it. But the only way to learn is to just…do it. A _lot_. Keep drawing, keep painting, keep doing whatever. It’s gonna look like crap for a long time. But each one is a little less crap than the previous, you know?”

Shuichi nodded warily, not sure where Kaito was going with this. Though to be honest, he wasn’t sure _Kaito_ knew where Kaito was going with this.

“So, when I was just starting high school, I’ve been doing this for like, over a decade.” Kaito continued, scratching the back of his head. “Already got a name for myself- people loved my work! But whenever I looked at a piece I’d made, I couldn’t see what they saw. I only saw the imperfections, the mistakes, what I could have done better.”

He turned and fixed Shuichi with a sad smile. “So uh, eventually all that frustration made me just…want to stop. I couldn’t find inspiration in anything like I used to, ‘cause I was convinced I wouldn’t do it justice. I was ready to resign myself to accepting that.”

“Kaito…” Shuichi whispered. He’d followed Kaito’s works for about a year, but never knew much about the guy from a personal angle until now. But even with what little he knew, he was beyond surprised that someone like him went through something like that.

“And then!” Kaito said with sudden loudness that made the boy next to him jump. “Someone came and gave me a kick up the ass and told me to suck it up and keep going!”

Shuichi couldn’t help but laugh a little at that, a more genuine laugh than his own wallowing from earlier. Of _course_ that would be how Kaito resolved the problem.

“Course, I protested and dragged my heels and moaned.” Kaito continued with a cheeky grin. “But…I took their advice. I kept making art, and making art, and making art. Until eventually, I broke through it. I found the muse that let me create my masterpiece- the piece that earned me the ‘Ultimate Artist’ title.” He raised an eyebrow at Shuichi cockily. “You were a fan, yeah? You should definitely know the one I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. How could I not?” For Shuichi, the moment he saw that painting, he had felt…he had felt…he wasn’t sure what he had felt, but it had been _something_. He’d tried to figure out what it had been, what that work meant. Something powerful lay within that painting, a meaning that tugged on his subconscious and whispered ‘ _Wake up. Look around you. Seize it_.’ It had been around a year since he saw it, had he really almost forgotten? But speaking to Kaito…he felt the same kind of energy emanating outward.

“I never realized how much you struggled to create it.” Shuichi admitted. “So…that was your enemy?”

“Bingo, you got it!” Kaito laughed. “And it was possible for two reasons- ‘cause I kept trying, and ‘cause I wasn’t alone. Now I’m gonna pay it forward!” He reached out and slapped Shuichi on the shoulder companionably, to which the smaller boy blushed and stammered a little. “By the time we get out of here with everyone, you’re gonna be a ton more confident! That’s a promise.”

“A promise…” Shuichi was still very nervous, but…he couldn’t deny that it would be nice to be more sure of himself. He actually felt he’d improved a lot already, especially with the help that Kaede and Tenko had given him. He felt bad that he kept having to rely on other people to give him boosts in mood, but…

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Shuichi smiled softly.

**RANK GAINED: STRENGTH, UPRIGHT**

**STRENGTH, COURAGE, PATIENCE, CONTROL, COMPASSION**

* * *

 

Kaede walked into the main hall, catching the faint trace of…singing? She had to strain her ears to hear it though. Shrugging, she stepped toward the food court, eager to once again try the cooking of the Ultimate Maid. And someone else was at the counter waiting for her.

Okay, not _waiting_ for her. Himiko sat on one of the stools, with a rather poor posture at that.

‘ _Is she slouching_?’ Kaede observed as she approached cautiously. ‘ _Or is she hunched over? Or perhaps…she’s slunched_?’

Whatever the proper descriptor, Himiko was looming over yet another cup of coffee, along with a loaf of bread, a tub of margarine, and a plate with cheese slices on it. She made no move to actually do anything with these ingredients, simply staring at them with almost glazed over eyes.

“Uh…Himiko? Are you okay?” Kaede said, standing next the seated girl now.

“Thinking.” Was the detective’s mumbled reply.

“…Ooookay.” Kaede said awkwardly. ‘ _I swear this girl is the weirdest one, and there’s a robot here_.’ She glanced at the sandwich ingredients, sitting lonely on the counter. “…Are you gonna eat that?”

“Hm…” Himiko’s face scrunched up as if deep in thought.

Kaede stood there with bated breath for nearly a full twenty seconds, before reaching a hand out stealthily to the plate of cheese slices. “I’m gonna eat these, okay Himiko?”

“…”

“I’m gonna make a sandwich, and eat it. With your food. You’re okay with that.”

“…”

Kaede did just as she threatened, buttering the bread, carefully putting a couple of cheese slices in, watching Himiko like a hawk the whole time. The moment the sandwich was complete however, Himiko’s eyes opened wide, and she shuddered slightly.

“…Oh. Nyeh?” The little detective blinked, apparently snapped out of her trance. “Oh, my sandwich. Thanks.” She promptly snatched it out of Kaede’s hands and took a bite out of it. “It wouf hav beena…big pain to mak it myshelf…so I wash…” She talked around her chewing, before swallowing. “…in deducing mode.”

“…I’m so glad I could be of service.” Kaede said sarcastically, already reaching to make a second sandwich on her own plate, much more on guard this time. “Himiko, why are you so lazy? You’re clearly smart, so why don’t you…you know, do more? We need your talent in a time like this!”

Himiko glanced at Kaede with dull, sad eyes. “…There’s no point.”

“What? What do you mean?” Kaede was taken aback.

Himiko took another bite, chewing it noisily before speaking again, and Kaede could feel her blood pressure rising. “…Nyeh…all I can do is try and mitigate the situation. Slap a band-aid on a big wound…it only delays the inevitable. So it doesn’t really matter how hard I try.”

“You really think a murder is going to happen, no matter what? Why not try and stop it?” Kaede said gravely. “Even…even if you fail, at least you _tried_ , right?”

“Kaede, what does a homicide detective do?” Himiko asked pointedly, not looking up from her food.

“W-what do they do?” Kaede’s own sandwich was long finished being made, but it sat untouched on her plate. “Well…they solve murders, obviously.”

“Right.” Another bite. “They _solve_ them, nyeh. Not _prevent_ them. And homicide is my case specialty.”

Kaede was beyond getting frustrated now, slamming her hand onto the counter angrily. “Okay sure, it’s not your normal job description to do that, but forget that. You clearly have experience with this sort of thing, surely _some_ piece of-“

“In my experience…” Himiko said coolly, a tiny bit of steel entering her high voice. “Countless murders are committed every day, for all sorts of reasons, nyeh.” She finished off the rest of her sandwich, and swiveled in her seat to face Kaede. “Many of those reasons are really dumb. A lot of the time it’s between people who know each other, nyeh- friends, family. With much less extenuating circumstances than here, kay…” She trailed off at the end, losing that brief bit of fire. Her expression seemed…sad. Resigned. “Nyeh…people are unpredictable and dangerous even when stuff’s normal. In a setting like this?” She shook her head, red bangs flopping about. “There’s no way to stop it…nyeh…it’s a big pain to even try…all I can do is point out details as I see them and hope people listen.”

“Himiko…” Kaede felt her anger fizzle out, and her hand hovered over the detective’s head awkwardly. She pulled it away swiftly as she remembered Ryoma’s less than pleased reaction to an unsolicited headpat. “Do you…enjoy your talent? Do you enjoy being a detective?”

“Eh? Enjoy it?” Himiko’s mouth dropped open like a fish for a moment, staring at Kaede as if she’d grown a second head. “Why…why does that matter, nyeh?”

Kaede frowned, feeling a rising concern growing within her. “What do you mean, why does it matter? I mean, why did you even become a detective in the first place if you’re this disillusioned?”

Himiko sighed, and hopped off the stool, her head practically bumping into Kaede’s midriff since the blonde girl was standing so close. The tiny girl shuffled away, pulling her coat closer to her body. “…Sorry, I don’t want to talk anymore, nyeh. ‘Specially not to the really suspicious girl.”

“Ah- Himiko! Wait!” Kaede called after her, trying not to wince at the ‘suspicious’ comment. The redhead ignored her though, shuffling off in the direction of the dorms.

**RANK GAINED: DEATH, REVERSED**

**RESISTANT TO CHANGE, UNABLE TO MOVE ON**

“…God.” Kaede grunted as she collapsed into the now vacant seat. “Am I gonna have to play counsellor for _everyone_ in here?”

She lifted her head, her gaze meeting the creepy visage of Monomizu from across the hall, who of course had seen everything.

 **“** … **No comment, ma’am.”** The robot said with a shrug of its massive shoulders, but its one visible eye glinted with dark mischief.

Kaede groaned again, burying her face in her hands.

_‘I just wanted a damn snack…’_

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! We also get an event from Shuichi's perspective with Kaito, and I reveal my full nerd as I put persona-esque tarot card nonsense into the Free Time Events (In my defence, Free Time was clearly based on Persona's social links, so...). Don't worry too much about them, they're just some interesting extra flavour.


	10. Day II: Promises and Traditions

Kaede raised her head from her hands after a while, sighing and reaching for her food. She still wasn't sure how she could best break through Himiko's walls…and Himiko wasn't even the most standoffish person here.

"If we're going to pull through this, I need to make sure everyone's at their best." Kaede muttered to herself after swallowing a bite. "Though that's going to take a lot of work…"

" **Really? That's the way you're planning on playing this time?"** Her head snapped up as she heard Monomizu speak, the large robot beginning to chunkily walk closer to her. It's half-dilapidated head seemed to glance from side to side, making sure no one else was in the hall. **"I must say ma'am, that's somewhat of a surprise**. **"**

"…This time? 'Ma'am'?" Kaede responded with a calmness that belied the sudden churning in her stomach at the over-familiarity of one of her captors, and her mind went back to the 'letter' from her past self. "…What do you mean?"

The monstrous mech seemed to _shrink_ _back_ at her words bashfully, bowing it's head. **"My apologies, its not my place to question your wisdom. It's just, normally at the start of a new game, you-"**

"So, this isn't the first time a 'killing game' has taken place?!" Kaede jumped out of her seat in alarm. "And…" She grit her teeth in disgust. "I'm a repeat 'contestant', as it were? Tell me everything you know right now!"

"… **What the?"** Monomizu said with a tone of shock after a brief silence. **"Ma'am…why are you talking like that? It's almost like you don't remember-"**

" _ **A-HEM. My dear, dear nephew…"**_ Monokuma's voice suddenly emanated from a little speaker on Monomizu's neck, sounded muffled and distorted with static like on a poor quality radio. _**"Could you do me a favor, and shut the hell up?"**_

" **I…"** Monomizu stammered for a moment, then stilled. **"Yes, of course Uncle."** Its feet began to emanate a powerful hum as it prepared to take off to the higher floors.

"Stop! Don't run away, you-" Kaede began to yell as she ran forward, but it was already too late. The robot used its fiery propulsion to fly high into the shadowy heights above, and Kaede could just about make out it landing on what looked like the sixth floor. Then, it moved out of her vision completely.

'… _What the hell is going on_?' She felt sick, and her clenched fists were shaking. ' _No matter what, I'm going to get to the bottom of this_ …'

Kaede sighed bitterly, returning to her seat and her food. Her appetite had all but vanished, but she still forced herself to eat even as the cogs of her mind span quickly.

' _Let's review…this isn't the first time one of these 'games' has happened. But if that's so, why did none of the others ever hear about that? Murder games with kidnapped teenagers happening on the regular would definitely be world news. Could there be a government cover up? Or perhaps the government itself is responsible…which government? With the exception of Angie, everyone here is Japanese, so_ …'

Kaede bit her lip. There were too many questions, too many unsettling implications to digest. She'd have to properly analyze this in the evening in her room. Tsumugi would be expecting her back at the library soon to help organize the study group, which was also important for keeping everyone's moral up. Speaking of which…

' _I…I can't tell anyone about this_.' She realized with a sinking feeling. ' _Firstly, it will definitely cause a panic to learn this isn't the first killing game, because that implies the other killing games were successful. And telling them that I was apparently involved in all of this somehow is obviously a bad idea…and even if I left that part out, they'd question how I came by this information_.'

Groaning as she finished her meal, Kaede leaned back in her seat queasily, her gaze passing over the selection of drinks Tsumugi had laid out on the counter. ' _Nothing alcoholic…probably for the best, as much as I want to drown my sorrows right now, I need to be alert_.' So she instead reached for the teapot, which came with a black and white Monokuma tea cozy. ' _Almost cute…if I didn't know better_.'

She sullenly poured herself a cup, taking it black with two sugars. ' _It's entirely possible that I myself am the mastermind behind this entire sick joke_.' She thought with dismay as she took a sip. ' _But then, that doesn't explain why my memories were erased, or who's operating Monokuma. I suppose he could be an AI, but_ …'

"…" She set her cup down on it's saucer down with a soft clink. "By day, I'm going to work hard and make sure everyone is working together." She muttered a vow to herself. "…By night, I'm going to try and decipher what's really going on in this place. Even if that means I have to outmaneuver my past self…'

She drained the rest of her drink, then stood up and began heading back to the library.

* * *

Even as Kaede left, another student lurked just beyond her sight, observing quietly from one of the corridor archways. That student watched the whole exchange and Kaede's subsequent promise, before turning and walking away.

'… _She really is completely different without her memories_.' The student thought to themselves as they walked through the halls. ' _How sickening. I wanted to believe she was just acting like me, but it's genuine_ …'

The student reached their room, pulling out their handbook and unlocking the door, swiftly entering. ' _Still, this was the agreed upon plan. This final game is quite special compared to the others, after all_.'

They moved to the chest of drawers, sifting through the piles of clothing until they found the small planner they'd hidden away, along with a pen. ' _But since she's not going to, I'll have to pick up her workload for this round. Pain in the ass_ …'

Flipping through their notes, the student stopped on a page filled with scribbled writings and diagrams. ' _Now…who should I feed the bait to? And should I do it before or after the first motive? Urgh, this sort of manipulation is her playground, not mine…but it's not like I can ask her for advice without spoiling the whole thing_.'

They turned a page, and began to write a plan.

' _Don't worry, Kaede. You'll get your wish to get to the bottom of all this…and at that end, you'll find a very special paradise of despair waiting for you_ …'

**RANK UP: ?**

* * *

"Okay Shuichi, consider this lesson one in 'being confident'." Kaito said boastfully as he and Shuichi approached the door to the Ultimate Tennis Lab. "Being physically active is proven to improve your mood!"

"Well, I'm not disagreeing with you per se…" Shuichi said cautiously. "But are you sure that should be lesson one? It seems like other things would take-"

"Eh, who cares about that?" Kaito shrugged it off. "Anyways, Gonta should be in here, and he seems easy to get along with yeah? He's the perfect practice for being sociable! Plus, we can get a workout while we're at it!"

Shuichi smiled despite himself. ' _Well…I'm not in terrible shape or anything, but it would help with my fieldwork to be a bit more active. And Gonta is odd, but clearly harmless_ -'

He was interrupted from his inner thoughts as the door the lab swung open forcefully, barely missing Kaito's outstretched hand. Before them stood Tenko, her hair damp and missing it's pinwheel accessory, a towel slung over her shoulder. She sniffed as she saw them. "Oh…hello. Here to exercise? As if it wasn't already testosterone fueled enough in there…"

"Yeah, that's right." Kaito replied, stepping closer to Shuichi almost imperceptibly. "Why, how many dudes are in there?"

"Just Gonta and Korekiyo. But I think Gonta has enough male-ness for three men." Tenko scoffed and glanced off to the side. "I couldn't even come close to touching him in a game…"

"Well, it is his Ultimate Talent." Shuichi commented. "Of course you were going to lose."

"Ah, Shuichi-" Kaito panicked slightly, eyes darting toward Tenko nervously.

However, Tenko just nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I know. Still, I'm definitely not gonna give up until I can at the very least score one point. I've got to prove that the girls can hold up in court…the tennis court, that is!"

"Uh, sure…" Kaito looked between Tenko and Shuichi with confusion. "Um, So Tenko-"

"What?" Her head snapped up, fixing the artist with a glare. "Do you mind getting out of my way? I need to go dry my hair."

Without any further conversation, she slid between the two of them deftly, and walked off down towards the main hall.

"Dude…" Kaito whistled lowly as he turned to Shuichi with an impressed look. "What was that?"

"Hm? What was what?" Shuichi said as he grabbed the lab door before it could swing close and lock them out.

"That! You and Tenko like, actually had small talk! What's the deal with that?" Kaito said incredulously. "I mean, even _I'm_ not ashamed to admit I'm intimidated by her!"

Shuichi coughed uncomfortably as he stepped into the room. "She's all bark and no bite. Besides, we have an, um…understanding."

Kaito still looked confused, but said no more as he entered the Tennis Lab. Gonta was on the side of the court nearest the door, his opponent being a pitching machine spitting out tennis balls at a furious rate.

Gonta was moving with insane speed, his normally pleasant face furrowed into a fierce scowl as he returned fire, each ball bouncing against the back wall with enough force to rebound back at him, allowing him to juggle the balls endlessly like he was facing a real opponent. It was hard to make out so many green blurs firing back and forth, but it seemed he currently had at least seven balls in play.

"Damn…" Kaito said with a low whistle. "If there was any doubt that guy's talent was the real deal…"

"Y-yeah…so that's the 'gentleman's game', is it?" Shuichi swallowed nervously, suddenly less confident about approaching Gonta. His eyes darted to the training area, and saw his chance. "Why don't I go talk to Korekiyo, instead?"

Indeed, the Ultimate Aikido Master was also there, going through a set of katas slowly, but with grace and force behind each movement. The top half of his robe was folded neatly on the floor nearby, leaving his muscular chest exposed. His long hair was tied up into a ponytail, to prevent it from swishing around too much. He still had his mask on, of course.

Shuichi and Kaito approached, Kaito calling out a greeting. 'Yo, Kiyo! Nice moves!'

Korekiyo paused, before relaxing into a cooldown pose. After a few seconds and a brief glance at Shuichi, he began to sign. " _Ah, good morning. This room is certainly in high demand, yes_?"

"It's afternoon now, actually. But yeah, good afternoon." Shuichi corrected.

" _Is it? I always lose track of time so easily when I'm meditating_."

"Uh, I'm gonna go get changed, alright Shuichi?" Kaito interrupted, jerking his head towards the walled off shower area. Against one wall was a rack of gym clothes in a variety of sizes.

Shuichi nodded as Kaito wandered off. He probably felt awkward about not being able to take part in more than half of the conversation.

"You were meditating? How does that work, if you don't mind me asking? It looked like you practicing more to me." He asked the martial artist curiously.

Korekiyo's eyes crinkled slightly, and his body shook wordlessly. It took a moment for Shuichi to realize he was laughing.

" _Goodness no. When I truly practice my art, it is much more of a…spectacle. No, I simply find that doing these routines daily allows me to focus my mind…the technique is different from how Miss Yonaga meditates, but the result should be same_.'

"I see…I've heard how training the mind is just as important as your body for martial arts." Shuichi said with his hand raised to his chin thoughtfully. "Would you consider yourself religious, then? You were raised by monks, right?"

Korekiyo didn't respond immediately, hesitating before signing. " _It depends on one's definition of religion. The temple certainly installed in us a core philosophy and way of life, but there was little worship or prayer involved. It was more…practically minded."_

Korekiyo paused for a moment again, a curious look entering his eyes. " _Shuichi, if you had to narrow it down to one aspect, what would you say is mankind's greatest flaw_?"

"Only one aspect? Um…" Shuichi fumbled at that. These sorts of deep questions weren't really things he liked to dwell on all that often. "I…I couldn't say. That's a very broad question."

" _Indeed_." Korekiyo cocked his head in amusement. " _As I'm sure Miss Yonaga could testify to, we are far too complicated to reduce to a single trait. My order however, disagrees. They believe that man's ability to lie and deceive one another is our greatest sin…as such, words are forbidden to us_."

"Is that why you took you vow of silence? E-even going so far as to remove your tongue?!" Shuichi cried out in alarm, to which Korekiyo chuckled silently.

" _Indeed. That procedure is a coming of age ritual for us. My sister was always more dedicated to the idea than me…I remember how much she disapproved of me learning sign language. Defeats the spirit of a vow of silence, you see_." The tall fighter glanced off the side wistfully. " _She was more skilled than me, too. Ah, she was such a wonderful person_ …" His whole body seemed to shiver for a moment.

"…Was?" Shuichi said softly. "Then she's…"

" _Yes…she passed away a few years ago._ " Korekiyo signed slowly. " _She fell ill with a rare disease unexpectedly one winter…it was truly a great injustice_." Shuichi couldn't see most of Korekiyo's expression, but his eyes held a deep sorrow. " _Had she lived, I have no doubt that she would be the Ultimate Aikido Master, not myself_."

"Korekiyo…you can't let yourself think like that." Shuichi said with his brow furrowed in worry. "Do you…wish you had died in her place?"

Korekiyo stiffened. _"You should probably go and get changed if you want to exercise, you know._ "

"Huh? Oh, right, of course. Thank you." Shuichi muttered, turning away and walking towards the shower block. ' _Guess I dug a bit too deep. What that must be like, to lose your twin sister…it would be like having losing a part of yourself. It's not quite the same, but that's a pain I know all too well_.'

He grabbed an exercise outfit just as Kaito was leaving the block, now clad in a tight-fitting white polo shirt and shorts. Shuichi tried to not let his eyes linger too much on Kaito's arms. ' _An artist has no right to be that buff_ …'

"Sup, Shuichi?" Kaito said with a raised eyebrow. "You only just now gonna get changed?"

"Ah, yeah. I was busy talking to Korekiyo." Shuichi said with a sheepish grin, to which Kaito smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Awesome! See, you're practically a social butterfly already!" Kaito smirked. "Heh, get it? Butterfly, cause you're-"

"Yeah, I got it."

**RANK UP: THE HERMIT, UPRIGHT**

**SOUL SEARCHING, INTROSPECTION, BEING ALONE, INNER GUIDANCE**

* * *

Kaede tried to banish her earlier thoughts from her mind for now, plastering what she hoped looked like a sincere smile on her face as she pushed open the library doors. She was greeted by the sight of spotless shelves, with Tsumugi now sat down at another table writing something down on a sheet of paper. And she wasn't alone.

Angie was also there, sat next to the maid and looking as serene as usual. Upon the door closing beyond Kaede with a 'thunk', she glanced up and smiled. " _Kia ora_ , Kaede! Did you enjoy your lunch?"

Kaede felt her stomach flop uncomfortably again, and she had to push her nerves away. "Y-yeah, it was alright. Has Tsumugi been telling you about our study group plan?"

"Yes indeedy." Angie clapped her hands together. "And I think it's a marvelous idea! Knowledge is meant to be shared, after all. I'd like to help with the planning, if that's alright."

"Sounds good to me." Kaede nodded, approaching the table and taking a seat across from Tsumugi. "How's it coming so far?"

"Oh, I was just drafting a rough timetable of what topics to cover and when." Tsumugi said without looking up from what she was doing. "Of course, it may all change depending on who's interested, and what other things they want to do each day…" She suddenly sat up straight in her chair. "Oh…I just realized! There's a few things we'll need that are probably in the warehouse. Please, excuse me."

"I can go get them for you, if you want-" Kaede began to offer, but was cute off by Tsumugi vehemently shaking her head.

"No, no, that plainly wont do. It shouldn't take me long, so please don't worry!" And with that, Tsumugi slipped away from the table and left the library.

Angie glanced at Kaede with a bemused expression. "She is certainly one who seems to take all the work upon herself, hm?"

"Yeah." Kaede sighed. "I appreciate she wants to be helpful, but it just makes me worry about her health."

"Diligence is a virtue." Angie agreed with a nod. "But it must be tempered with restraint. Hm…" Once again, she reached into her tunic and took out her thick book, turning it's weathered pages and quickly scribbling something in it before closing it again.

"What exactly is that book, Angie?" Kaede's curiosity won out. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, this?" Angie ran a finger down the book's spine lovingly. "This is my personal anthropology journal. It contains all of my on-site observations and thoughts, as well as my to-do list of places of interest."

Kaede glanced again at the book. It looked old and battered- not unusable, but it had certainly seen regular use over many years. It was absurdly thick, too. ' _How does it even fit inside that tunic of hers_?'

"How long have you been an anthropologist, by the way?" She inquired further.

"Oh? Hm…well, I first starting writing my thoughts in this journal when I was around nine years old."

"Nine!" Kaede's eyes widened in amazement.

"Yes, but it wasn't like I had the title back then." Angie flipped the book open to its earliest pages, a frown on her face. "Originally, I was writing as much as I could about my own island's culture and beliefs."

"How come?" Kaede asked as she craned her neck to get a better look at the words, only to find they were written in another language entirely. ' _Well…I guess that makes sense._ '

"Mm…how much do you know about the history of the pacific islands, Kaede?" Angie hummed.

"Uh…as much as I know about any other world history." Kaede grinned awkwardly. "Which is to say, nothing."

Angie laughed softly. "Oh, yes of course. How could I forget? Well, let's see if I can give a highly abridged version…" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, inhaling and exhaling before speaking again. "The term 'pacific islands' is very broad, and is loosely divided into the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. If you want to get technical, Japan itself is arguably a 'Pacific island', but it's definitely not part of the same ethnic or cultural region. Anyway…Polynesia is the one that people tend to be most familiar with, and that's where I'm from." She paused for a moment, checking Kaede was following, and continued.

"Of course, even within just that region, there are a huge number of islands, each with their own unique residents. A lot of the islands overlap culturally – similar language, legends and customs- but there is also a high degree of variations on each of those things. For example, the word ' _Atua_ '- on my island, it refers to the individual deity we worship. On other islands, it refers to gods and spirits in general. It can also be used to mean spiritual power or strength. It's highly related to the concept of _mana_ , which is a whole discussion on it's own…oh, I'm doing it again." Angie trailed off sadly.

"Hm? Doing what again?" Kaede snapped out of her rapture. "Why did you stop?"

"I strayed from the point I was trying to set up and started going on tangents…" Angie looked contrite, fiddling with a lock of her hair. "I always do that. I imagine you're very bored already."

"No, no I was listening!" Kaede said honestly. "It certainly sounds like there's a lot of history there. And that kind of stuff is what you were recording?"

Angie nodded, turning a page and drinking in the information there with sad smile. To Kaede, that smile didn't look right on someone like Angie. "Yes. And all that history, that culture- is in danger of fading away." Gently, she closed the hefty tome once more. "The entire region became heavily colonized by various external powers from as early as the 1500s all the way up until mid 1900s- primarily by European nations, but Japan also notably exerted their influence, especially during World War Two. Some of it was peaceful…a lot of it wasn't. Either way, most islands now practice some variant of Christianity."

' _To have all your old traditions forcibly replaced…it would be akin to having your personal identity stolen_.' Kaede thought with sympathy. ' _I can relate, in a way_.' She hesitatingly reached out a hand to pat Angie comfortingly on the shoulder, and was surprised when Angie leaned into the touch with a sigh.

"U-um…" Kaede felt her face flush. "So…what about your island? I'm guessing you recorded that data to try and keep your traditions alive, so that means…" She trailed off gravely.

"Yes. My island had already been heavily Christianized for about a hundred years, but it changed hands to Japan in the war, and is still considered a Japanese territory. These days, people are affronted because they feel Japanese traditions are infringing on their right to be Christian. Only a handful of us even remember about Atua and his teachings."

"I don't know what to say…that sounds awful." Kaede said in an attempt at comfort. ' _Is that why her surname is Japanese_?' There was one other thing on her mind however. "So then…what made you decide to leave and start studying _other_ cultures? If anything, I would have thought you'd resent the rest of the world."

Angie laughed, moving back into her upright position and away from Kaede's touch, to Kaede's slight disappointment. "I did feel resentful, at first. But eventually I came to accept that…culture is built by individuals. So long as one person has the knowledge, the culture is alive. And my culture isn't the only one in the world. I've made it my mission to study and record as much about humanity as I can, because there is just as much that connects us, as divides us."

"Wow…that's really admirable, Angie." Kaede gushed, clasping her hands together eagerly. "That seems like really cool way to approach things."

Angie squished her own cheeks with her hands, her eyes suddenly twinkling mischievously. "Oh, I'm glad you think so! But you've heard me ramble enough. I'm most eager to learn about _you_."

"Huh? Me?" Kaede was taken aback by that. "Well…I'm afraid I can't really help you with that. I'm as in the dark about my past as you are." That wasn't entirely true anymore, but Kaede knew she couldn't dwell on that in this instance.

"True, true." Angie agreed with a pleasant smile. "But your present is not so shrouded. Stripped away of everything else, could this version of you not be considered the 'true' you? It's a super special and interesting situation, you see!"

"Maybe…" Kaede said carefully. "I guess forward is the only way I can move. That's how I'll show everyone, even myself, what kind of person I am."

"Glad to hear it." Angie surprised Kaede by leaning forward, elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, looking at Kaede with half-lidded eyes. "Hrm…yes, I'm most eager to see what you're like…"

' _Is…is she flirting with me_?!' Kaede felt a bead of sweat trickle down her face. "Uwwwhhh-" ' _Smooth_ '.

She was saved from her embarrassment as the library doors opened with a 'bang' as Tsumugi returned, wheeling in a large dolly that was piled high with all sorts of things, from boxes filled with stationary, to a teaching mannequin of the human body, and even a large portable whiteboard.

"Please forgive me for making you wait!" Tsumugi gasped as she parked the dolly next to the table. "Kokichi and Ryoma were both in the warehouse, and I was trying to convince them to join the study group." She straightened and brushed off her apron, a look of indignation on her face. "Ryoma seemed interested, but Kokichi wouldn't give me a plain answer. Why does he have to make things difficult?"

Tsumugi went on to complain some more about Kokichi, and Kaede took the opportunity to glance back at Angie. She'd returned to writing in her journal, an innocent look on her face.

' _I…I probably was just reading into it too much._ ' Kaede rationalized to herself. ' _But I definitely learned a lot about her today. I think she's someone in here I can trust_.'

**RANK UP: THE STAR, UPRIGHT**

**HOPE, SPIRITUALITY, RENEWAL, INSPIRATION, SERENITY**

* * *

After Tsumugi finished complaining about Kokichi, the three of them spent the next few hours working on material for the study group. There were an awful lot of things involved, more than Kaede had estimated. Still, she'd promised she'd help keep everyone working together and this definitely seemed like a way to do that, so she wasn't going to shy away at a little effort.

Having a practiced teacher like Tsumugi as well as an academic like Angie certainly helped things seem a little more professional. By around six in the afternoon they had a pretty solid lineup of stuff to do for about a week.

"Right…I should head over to the dining hall and start preparing the evening meal." Tsumugi said after checking the time on her handbook. "At dinner we should ask everyone to give their answer on whether or not they want to take part, and we might be able to do something with this as early as tomorrow."

"Yes, it's looking promising!" Angie trilled cheerfully. "Now, I must also dash before dinner- I'm overdue for my daily prayers, you see." The white-haired girl turned to Kaede with an inquisitive look. "Do you have any plans before dinner, Kaede?"

"Um, not really." Kaede admitted bashfully. "But I've been trying to touch base with everyone at least a little bit, so I'm probably just gonna try and track down people I haven't done that with yet."

With that, the three of them left the library and went their separate ways.

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get some more plot, followed by some Free Time. Angie's island is one I made up for this story, and is not based on any specific Polynesian island. As such, it will remain unnamed.


	11. Day II: Meetings and Motives

 

Kaede walked into the foyer, seeing the food court in front of her. Tsumugi already seemed hard at work in the kitchen, and probably didn’t want to be disturbed, whereas Angie had returned to her room to pray.

 

A few students had been attracted to gather there already by the smell of cooking – Kokichi and Ryoma had both wandered over from the warehouse, sitting at the same table. Kokichi was a ball of energy, constantly moving about in his chair. Ryoma had a severely unimpressed look on his face. Keebo was also present, seated at his own table, glancing nervously towards toward the still blocked off stairways every now and then.

 

And for good reason- Monokasei had taken Monomizu’s place as a guard, standing watch around halfway between the edge of the food court and the western staircase. Where Monomizu had been mostly silent and still, she seemed to be always bouncing with movement slightly in a manner not unlike Kokichi in his chair, a mechanical sounding giggle escaping her occasionally.

 

Determinedly ignoring their overseer, Kaede walked over to Ryoma and Kokichi’s table. “Heya, you two.” She said, raising a hand in greeting as they turned to look at her. “How’s your day been?”

 

Ryoma opened his mouth to speak, but Kokichi beat him to the punch. “Oh Kaede, it’s been just dreadful!” He sobbed, big fat tears streaming down his face. “Ryoma was in the warehouse, gathering up a whole bunch of tools for murder! I caught him in the act, and he threatened to hurt me! Please, saaaave me!”

 

Ryoma just sighed, drumming his fingers on the table in irritation. “If anyone needs to be saved here, it’s me. I’ve had to put up with these ‘jokes’ for hours.”

 

“What? I hate lies and jokes, you know?” Kokichi said innocently, though the fact his tears had suddenly vanished and he had a big smile on his face said plenty.

 

“Kokichi, you shouldn’t say something like that even as a joke.” Kaede said with a frown. “I don’t know if it’s your way of coping or whatever, but can you please be a bit more considerate?”

 

“Yes mom! I’m sorry, mom!” Kokichi still had his wide smile, and Kaede just sighed. ‘ _Guess he’s not going to listen to me that easily…though I have to admit, being able to cry on command like that is amazingly impressive_.’

 

She pulled out a chair and sat down next to Ryoma, Kokichi sitting across from her. “Still…what _were_ you two doing at the warehouse?”

 

“We were looking for snacks!” Kokichi chirped happily, putting his hands on the back of his head and leaning back in his chair.

 

Kaede rolled her eyes. “What you were _actually_ doing-“

 

“Uh, he’s actually telling the truth on that one.” Ryoma admitted with a scratch of his neck, expression sheepish.

 

“Huh? Really?” Kaede was surprised to hear that from Ryoma of all people. “I mean, I know there’s food in there, but we’re about to have dinner…”

 

“Oh, the snacks aren’t for right now, silly! They’re for the movie night Ryoma is planning!” Kokichi whispered conspiratorially.

 

“Oh, that makes sense. And it sounds like a great idea, actually!” Kaede smiled. It would certainly be another thing to increase group morale and cohesion.

 

Ryoma nodded seriously. “Yeah, in the A/V room. I don’t know when exactly, but everyone’s welcome.” He looked pensively up at the high ceiling, chewing on his candy cigarette. “Don’t underestimate the small things in life.” He glanced back down at Kokichi after a moment. “For what it’s worth, this guy knows a lot more about junk food for a casual party than me. I was gonna ask Tsumugi, but…“

 

“…Yeah, I’m not sure that’s really her kind of cuisine.” Kaede laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great cook. But that kind of party is…almost _supposed_ to have bad food, right?”

 

“Oh?” Kokichi’s eyes gleamed with interest. “You’re absolutely correct of course, but how do you have that opinion? Do you have a memory of going to any parties, Miss Ultimate Amnesiac?”

 

‘ _Do I? Hm_ …’ Kaede racked her brain for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I still don’t have any memories of specific events or places from before I woke up here. But I do seem to have memory of various pieces of ‘general knowledge’ information?” Seeing their inquisitive stares, she explained. “Like…when I woke up in the classroom, I recognised that it _was_ a classroom, but I have no memory of being in one before. I can recognise what objects are and still understand language. So that kind of…subconscious memory, I guess? Seems to still be there.”

 

“What I choose to take away from that,” Kokichi said seriously. “Is that bad party food is a universal truth.” He nodded sagely.

 

Kaede couldn’t help but laugh loud enough for Keebo to turn in his chair and stare at her in concern.

* * *

 

 

Shuichi panted as he wiped his brow of sweat, his muscles aching as he lowered the hand weights back onto their storage rack. “How…long have we been in here?”

 

Kaito, who was also out of breath but considerably more composed about it, shrugged as he picked up a fresh towel. “Dunno. Few hours or so?”

 

“Miss Tsumugi will be cooking right around now!” Gonta said cheerfully. He’d eventually broken off from practice to come and watch the two of them work out, occasionally giving some advice. Korekiyo had seemingly finished his exercise a while ago, but had chosen to stick around and watch as well for some reason.

 

 

“Nice- a full belly is just what we need after that!” Kaito said excitedly, then paused and sniffed the air. “Uh, need a quick shower first.”

 

Shuichi tensed as he heard that, keenly aware of how sweaty he was. “Uh, yeah…I’m gonna have mine back at my room.”

 

Kaito and Gonta both looked at him in confusion. “Eh? Why?” Kaito scratched his head. “We’re all guys here, right?”

 

“I-I just don’t really feel comfortable showering around others.” Shuichi tried to explain, not meeting Kaito in the eyes. Kaito opened his mouth to say more, but hesitated as he seemed to think of something, before nodding his head.

 

Gonta however, had no such reservations. “But each shower in cubicle! Not like anyone see-“

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it Shuichi, I got it.” Kaito said loudly as he not so-subtly elbowed the larger boy to silence him. “You’ve made some great progress today, but I won’t push you if you’re uncomfortable. Little steps, yeah?”

 

“Thanks for understanding, Kaito,” Shuichi smiled softly. “I’ll see you at dinner, yeah?”

* * *

 

 

Over the next half an hour or so, people gradually trickled in to the food court, lured by the aroma of good food. Kaede simply sat back and people-watched the whole time, observing as Shuichi emerged from the east corridor wearing sports wear, waving at her briefly before heading back to his room to shower. The trio of Gonta, Kaito and Korekiyo also emerged shortly after, already changed into their regular clothes and finding their seats.

 

After a minute, Shuichi re-entered the foyer from the dormitory corridor, along with Angie (Who had finished praying) and Tenko, who Kaede knew had also been in Gonta’s lab earlier.

 

Miu, Maki, Himiko and Rantaro were the last to arrive, having spent most of the day in their rooms. Kaede made a mental note to try and talk to Maki or Miu next, unpleasant as those conversations might potentially be.

 

Soon the food court was abuzz with chatter, which dulled only as Tsumugi wheeled her cart around to deliver dishes to the awaiting hungry students. Just as she finished placing Miu’s plate in front of her, the maid straightened and rapped an empty glass with a spoon, creating a loud ringing noise throughout the hall.

 

“Excuse me! Could I have your attention, please!” Tsumugi called out with authority.

 

“OW, my fucking ears!” Miu complained, rubbing at the side of her head. “You couldn’t have taken a few steps away to do that, four eyes?”

 

Tsumugi ignored her, instead smiling pleasantly at the rest of the room. “Before you all dig in,” Her eyes lingered on Kokichi, who was already stuffing his face. “Ah, some of you may already be aware of this, but Kaede, Angie and myself are organising a study group for anyone who’s interested.”

 

“A study group, nyeh?”  Himiko groaned. “Sounds like a lot of work…”

 

Seeing Tsumugi begin to flounder, Kaede stood up out of her chair. “Yes, it will be a lot of work, which is why it’s optional. But it’s a productive way to spend time, right? We _were_ supposed to be attending school after all.”

 

“It does sound interesting…” Shuichi spoke up, face flushing scarlet as the groups eyes turned to him. “Uh, I mean…I’ll go?”

 

“It does sound like an efficient way to keep our minds from…wandering.” Keebo said, still staring nervously at the Monodroid watching over them all.

 

“Gonta already going!” Gonta yelled cheerfully.

 

Tenko’s eyes darted around the tables for a moment, then she sighed. “I’ll go as well, if only to ensure none of these boys get out of hand.”

 

Tojo looked hesitant, but nodded her head in agreement. “I…am not sure how helpful I can be, but this is the sort of thing people our age are expected to do…I will do my best to comply.”

 

“Nyahaha! It’s quite the turnout already!” Angie shouted in joy, throwing her hands in the air. “Atua smiles on those who seek knowledge!”

 

“Anyone else?” Kaede added, looking at Ryoma and Kokichi on her table. “How about you guys?”

 

Ryoma shook his head solemnly. “I’ll pass. It does sound like a good idea, but I’d probably just be in the way. Besides, I’ve got my own event to plan, remember? I’ll fill everyone in on the details in a few days.”

 

Kokichi merely belched loudly, before wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Eh, sounds boring.” He then returned to eating, shutting everything else out.

 

“Maki? Miu?” Kaede could already guess the answer, but figured she may as well try.

 

“Aw hell no!” Miu snarled. “What good is studying gonna do when we’re trapped here? The more time I spend in my room the better, as far as I give a shit!”

 

“…I’m also going to have to say no.” Maki said quietly.

 

“Aw come on Maki Roll, don’t be like that!” Kaito tried to butter her up.

 

It didn’t work, as she stared at him incredulously. “Maki…roll?” She seemed at a loss for words for a moment, before scowling. “Don’t call me that. Anyway, are _you_ going?”

 

“Me, uh well…” Kaito floundered. “Uh, maybe? I’ll probably just wing it and see what I feel like.”

 

“How reliable.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “You can think I’m being antisocial if you want, but I’m least I’m clear in my answer.”

 

“And that’s perfectly fine.” Angie said smoothly. “This is a fun activity, and it’s no fun if you’re being forced to come! That said, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more involved in the group, hm?”

 

Maki just sighed. “…I’ll _consider_ it.” She relented eventually.

 

‘Well, that’s progress at least.’ Kaede thought with triumph. “That just leaves you, Rantaro.”

 

The magician shrugged, cape shifting on his shoulders. “Sure, why not? Beats sitting around in my room twiddling my thumbs.”

 

Miu smirked. “Heh, more like fiddling with your-“

 

“Shut up, Miu.” Everyone said in unison.

* * *

 

 

After dinner, Kaede cornered Maki in the dormitory corridor. “Ah, Maki! Wait up!”

The astronaut paused, her hand stopping just shy of her door handle. Turning, she stared at Kaede with irritation in her eyes. “Did you need something from me?”

 

“Ah, no.” Kaede breathed, smiling in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. “I just wanted to say, about the study group-“

 

“I already said I’d consider it.” Maki cut her off. “What more do you want me to say?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant. I wanted to thank you.”

 

Maki’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Thank...me? For what?”

 

“For considering it.” Kaede stated, giving Maki a pointed look. “I don’t much about you, other than the fact you clearly don’t like the idea of getting close to anyone in this situation. So, ‘considering it’ is actually a fairly big step for you, right?”

 

Maki’s frame tensed, like a dog raising its hackles. “...Don’t give me your armchair psychology. I said what I said to stop annoying people like you and Kaito from pestering me, but apparently it isn’t working.”

 

‘ _You’re losing her, Kaede_.’ “You know, Maki...” Kaede crossed her arms across her chest as she thought of a different angle. “Astronauts are trained for dangerous situations, right? And they have to work in a team, right?” She let the implication speak for itself, to see if Maki took the bait.

 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Maki sighed with frustration. “And we train with our teammates for years. There’s a bond of trust there that you cant just create instantly with total strangers. Not to mention that in those dangerous situations, my teammates aren’t the potential problem. Its not at all a comparable scenario.”

 

Well, I got her to talk at least. “I guess you have a point.” Kaede conceded for now. “How did you become an astronaut so young, anyways?”

 

“It’s...a long story.” Maki said as she brushed her bangs away from eyes self-consciously. “But I’ve grown up around stuff to do with space for...a long time. There simply was never any doubt about what I’d do with my life.”

 

“That kind of certainty must be nice...” Kaede said with a groan. ‘ _I cant even be certain about my past, never mind my future_...’

 

“Yeah...I guess. I never really thought about it.” Maki continued, ignoring Kaede’s complaint. “Space is like...the number zero. And that’s good.”

 

“Eh?” Now it was Kaede’s turn to scrunch her face in confusion. “Zero...is good? How?”

 

“Zero is empty, right? Like a void.” Maki said with a shrug. “But, its also infinite. Empty things exist to be filled. Zero is a number of potential, and space is the same.” For the first time, Kaede saw the hint of a smile on Maki’s face. “Anyway...do I have your permission to go to bed now, master?” She said sarcastically, and the moment vanished.

 

Without waiting for a reply, Maki went into her room and closed the door behind her with a soft click, leaving Kaede to ponder her words.

 

**RANK UP: THE HIGH PRIESTESS, UPRIGHT**

**INTUITION, HIGHER POWERS, MYSTERY, SUBCONSIOUS MIND**

 

‘Hm...infinite potential...’ Kaede felt her mind working overtime as she turned and headed to her own room. The idea was pleasing to her. She entered her room but made no move to prepare for bed.

 

 The night-time announcement would sound soon, and after waiting until most people would be asleep, Kaede had some extracurricular activities to attend to. Firstly, she had a list of items to take from the warehouse, such as a portable whiteboard like the one Tsumugi had for the study group, and bring it back to her room-

 

**_*Ding Dong Ding*_ **

 

“ ** _Goood evening students! It is now 10pm, and as such it is night-time! The food court is off limits now, so be caaaareful!_** ”

 

Kaede rolled her eyes as the announcement played, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

 

“ ** _Oh, and something has just landed on my desk- priority faculty announcement! All students, pay attention- its time for your motives!_** ”

 

Her head jerked up at that, suddenly no longer relaxed. Motives? He couldn’t mean...

 

“ ** _Puhuhu...bet that got your blood flowing. Yes, the motive is a beary special part of your studies here. Killing strangers to survive isn’t as easy to stomach as it sounds, so I’ve provided all of you with some...incentive. A special video has been added to the menu of your handbook, personalised just for you! Watch it, don’t watch it, kill, be killed...the choice is yours. Sweet dreams everyone!_** ”

 

The speakers fell quiet, leaving Kaede with the noise of her own her own heart pounding. ‘ _I should have figured something like this was coming. But couldn’t he have given us more time? I…We’re not ready_ …’

Hands shaking, she slung her backpack off her shoulders and extracted her handbook, turning it on. Sure enough, a new textbox simply labelled ‘Motive’ had been added to the menu. Kaede stared at it for a few minutes, finger hovering over the screen. This was obviously a trap, but…

 

‘ _I need as much information as I can get. I can’t turn my eyes away from this, even if I want to_.’ Steeling her resolve, she reached out with her finger and lightly tapped the option.

 

Instantly, the screen was filled with an image of Kaede’s silhouette, with her name listed underneath in an artsy, garish font, and a recording of Monokuma’s voice began to speak. “ ** _It’s time for the ever popular motive video! Who’s the most important person in your life? Now, without further ado…Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate *BZZZT*_**.” The wording was drowned out by a crackling of static, and Kaede felt her anger rise even higher.

 

“ ** _This talented young girl has certainly been making waves._** ” Monokuma continued, voice full of mock-praise. “ ** _But what makes her heart tick? Let’s take a look_** …”

 

The video changed, and was no longer a still image. It was a camera feed of a girl sitting on a chair in the centre of a white room, and at first Kaede thought she was looking at herself. The person did indeed look remarkably similar to her, down to the hairstyle and face, but there were some differences. They seemed thinner, and were wearing what looked like some kind of formal pink blazer that seemed too big for them. The blazer had on emblem on the lapel- an hourglass, the top half of which had an eye in its center, and the bottom half was colored in purple.

The girl looked nervously into the camera- and rightly so, because she was flanked by two burly guards armed with assault rifles, their faces blurred out.

 

“ ** _Oh, am I seeing double_**?” Monokuma simpered. “ ** _Yes indeed…Mr and Mrs Akamatsu were blessed with two lovely twin girls- Kaede and Kameko. While Kaede soared high above the masses with her talent, Kameko was always living in her sister’s shadow. Let’s see what she has to say, shall we_**?”

 

Kaede’s gut clenched. ‘ _Sister…I have a sister_?’ Before she could process that, the girl in the video became to speak.

 

“Sis, if you’re watching this…then that means you were selected, right?” Kameko’s voice was much softer and more timid than Kaede’s, but there was a slight resemblance. “So…we might not ever see each other again. Then I want to say that…I’m sorry. I tried my best to hold things together while you were busy, but I’ve never been as strong as you are. I messed up, and you had to step in and clean up the mess I made. Now you keep me in the dark and turn me away when I want to help with the project.”

 

Kameko was openly crying as she spoke, and one of the guards gruffly handed her a tissue. The kindness of the action was bizarrely out of place. “But…I still love you.” She eventually said after dabbing at her eyes. “I’ve always loved you. And I think you’re doing the right thing. So please…don’t feel sad. Even if we never meet again, I’ll be able to see the realized dream that you made possible. The paradise that everyone is building together with their own hands. That’s…my final hope…”

 

The video froze, and Monokuma’s taunting voice drifted out of the speakers once more. “ ** _Puhuhu…Kameko’s final hope is to one day see the fruits of her sister’s legacy. But I wonder…wouldn’t it be just awful if she never got to see it? If something were to happen to her? I wonder what she’s up to right now_**?”

 

Kaede could only watch helplessly as the video changed again, now switching to surveillance camera footage. Kameko was in a prison cell, and she looked to be in bad shape. Her hair was dirty and tangled, deep bags lay under her eyes, and her nervousness had devolved into outright panic as she frantically kept throwing herself at the prison door, banging on it and shouting for help to no avail. Her stylish blazer had been replaced with striped prisoner’s clothes, and a wall mounted gun turret above the door tracked her movements casually, but made no attempts to fire on her.

 

“ ** _If there’s no murder within 72 hours, her guts and brains will paint the walls. What’s truly important to you? Choose wisely…Kaede._** ”

 

And with that, the video file closed itself, and a new timer appeared on her menu screen, counting down. But all Kaede could think was...

 

' _This...this is unforgivable_!'

 

  _ **Monokuma Theatre**_

**_You know multiverse theory, right? Infinite branches, and all of them are true somewhere. So in one universe, I chose to eat a tuna mayo sandwich instead of a salad, or became the Prime Minister instead of a homeless bum. But don't you find that unnerving? So many 'myselfs', all so different. Which one is the 'true' me? Are they all alternate versions of me...or am I an alternate version of a much more impressive version of myself?_ **

**_That's why I don't believe in that theory. There's one universe, and its mine. I'm not going to lose to anyone, not even my shitty rip off from another dimension._ **

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand another! I started Uni recently, and that's taking up the majority of my time I'm afraid. But yeah, we finally get to the first motive! I'm sure it will all work out fine...right?


	12. Day III: Planning, Placating, Plotting

The morning announcement blared, but Kaede was already awake. In truth she had not slept at all- dark bags rested under her eyes as she paced her room. A whiteboard was propped up in the centre of said room, with various scribbled writings and diagrams on it.

The motive. The time limit. Her sister. The armed guards. The ‘project’. What did it all mean?

Even without accounting for her missing memory, Kaede could guess that Monokuma was careful to select footage that didn’t reveal too much about what was really going on, merely hinted at it. But why leave those clues in the first place? It was as if he was testing her...

“It might not even be true.” She mumbled to herself. “She could be an actor, and no one is truly in danger, and I wouldn’t know the difference.” And wasn’t that a tempting thought- that it was all an act, a grand production. But the others would have received motives too, and unlike Kaede they possessed the memories to recognise their hostages.

They would be much harder for Monokuma to outright lie to. Which meant, even if the person in  Kaede’s video wasn’t really her sister, lives were still in danger.

All of this ran through Kaede’s mind as she furiously tried to conceive of a way to avoid a murder but still save the hostages. Unfortunately, she was coming up with a blank, save for...one possibility.

Her eyes drifted to the rope she had acquired from the warehouse, coiled up innocently by the foot of her bed.

_‘But I’ll save that...for a last resort. I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet.’_

After a quick shower to calm herself, Kaede stepped outside her room at pretty much the same time Kaito was exiting his a few doors down. He was hunched slightly, with a far away look in his eyes.

“Kaito...” She began sadly. “Who did you see?”

“...Huh? Oh, mornin’ Kaede. You say something?” it took a few seconds for him to register her presence. “Crazy video, huh? Gotta be fake, though. No way its real...just no way...”

He shuffled off toward the food court before she could respond. Reluctantly, she followed.

Breakfast was a grim, subdued affair as people gathered. No one talked further than mumbled ‘Good mornings’, nor did they look each other in the eye. Even the normally chipper Angie or boisterous Miu were quiet.

Seeing them all like that, Kaede felt her teeth clench in rage once more. Why was no one doing anything, saying anything? Were these people really the ‘Ultimates’ they claimed to be?

She took a breath and stood up from her seat, reigning in the anger: not calming it, but focussing it. She knew who was truly at fault here.

Still, she needed to say something. She felt all eyes on her as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Wow, what’s with doom and gloom in here? You all look like somebody died!”

Kokichi had a dark grin on his face as he approached the group, hands behind his head casually. “Come on, liven up! Don’t you have your study group today?” His eyes sparkled as an idea came to him. “Ooh, you can write friendship letters to Princess Celestia! Or maybe to the Ultimate Prince?”

“S-shut the fuck up you little brat!” Miu spat at him. “No shit we’re acting like someone died! I mean...” She trailed off, eyes darting around nervously. “T-that video I got...”

“You received one as well?!” Keebo said in alarm.

“We all did. That’s why we’ve all been so...quiet.” Rantaro said tersely, his arms crossed. He had a deep frown and his foot kept tapping against the floor.

“W-what should we do?” Tsumugi was twisting her apron in her hands. “N-no matter what choice we pick...”

“What do you think, Kaede?” Himiko’s voice, tiny as it was, cut across the hall. “You looked like you wanted to say something, nyeh.”

“That’s right! Miss Kaede will know what to do!” Gonta said happily, adjusting his sun visor. “No need to worry!”

“I-I also want to hear what Kaede has to say.” Shuichi muttered.

“Yup yup! Let the amnesiac girl guide us!” Kokichi said as he looked at Kaede with a challenge behind his smile. “What could go wrong?”

“...First, lets make sure everyone is on the same page.” Kaede began as she tried to quash the various retorts that were rising up within her. “After last nights announcement, we each received a video on our handbooks to serve as our motive to commit murder. If no killing happens within three days, the hostages- which are people close to each of us- will be killed.”

Various people in the room flinched at that, but nodded.

“That is an accurate assessment.” Tojo said in agreement. “Unfortunately, this leaves us all in a logical and moral trap.”

“...Who’d they even use as a robot’s hostage?” Maki asked incredulously.

“...my creator.” Tojo glanced down at that. “The Ultimate Robotics Engineer. But how did they even capture her...?”

“This sick bastard has gone too far this time.” Tenko hissed. “I hate to say it, but we might have no choice but to...”

“But to what?” Ryoma stared her down seriously. “Kill? Already got a target in mind?”

Tenko scowled and opened her mouth to argue back, but Kaede beat her too it.

“Thats enough, all of you!” She shouted. “None of you need to kill anyone.”

“B-but, the hostages...” Someone muttered, but Kaede steamrolled ahead.

“None of the hostages are going to die, but no murder is going to happen here either.” She stated confidently. “So none of you need to do anything hasty or reckless.”

“ You say that with such...conviction.” Angie said as she finally acknowledged the conversation. “Do you have some sort of plan?”

“...Yes, I do.” She was so tempted to tell them the truth- all of her deductions and thoughts. But she knew she couldn’t.

“…Have you found some way to escape?” Ryoma leaned forward with interest.

“No…not yet.” Her heart sank as he frowned at her.

“Is that so…hmph.” He chewed on his candy cigarette in irritation. “Then what _is_ your plan?”

She grimaced. “I’m sorry…I can’t tell you that right now.”

“You can’t tell us?” Rantaro looked at her curiously, eyes glinting dangerously. “That’s not exactly reassuring, Kaede…”

“I…” She sighed. “Look, I…please. All of you, just give me a little time.” She glanced around the room, trying to meet everyone’s eyes. “Don’t do anything reckless.” She repeated.

“So basically, you _don_ ’t have a plan.” Maki said with a glare.

“Hey, come on Maki. At least she’s trying, yeah?” Kaito cut in, though his own voice still sounded rather shaky. “Look, we can all sit around and mope about it, or we can do something about it. So I’m willing to trust Kaede.”

“…Who exactly elected Kae-idiot as the leader, again?” Miu twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers in agitation as she spoke.

“I’m not claiming to be a leader.” Kaede insisted. “Kaito’s right…we _all_ need to contribute if we want to get out of here.” She looked around again. “Look, the study group is still going to go ahead today. If you’ve changed your mind about coming in light of the motive, I understand…but please, do _something_ productive with your time.”

She slowly sat back down in her sit. “Now we can all sit here talking in circles, or we can enjoy the nice breakfast Tsumugi prepared for us.”

There was a tense silence briefly, and then a chorus of muttered agreement and nods.

“Ahem…well ah, shall we dig in then?” Tsumugi said awkwardly.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Kokichi trilled, apparently unaffected by the tense argument that just took place, eagerly digging in with a pace not shared by the other students, as the meal continued with a solemn air.

Kaede ate, but in truth her appetite was dwindling. ‘ _I know I don’t sound very convincing…but I had to have swayed at least some of them, right_?’

* * *

 

In the end, only Kaito, Gonta and Shuichi turned up to the study group, with Rantaro, Tenko and Tojo abstaining.

Kaede and Angie awaited them in the library with big plastic smiles on their faces. Tsumugi by comparison looked a lot more melancholy, but she still welcomed the ‘students’ with a polite curtsey.

“W-welcome. As you can see,” She gestured to the tables with various books, sheets of paper, and stationary on them. “We have a variety of topics for you to pursue…this will feel a bit like a seminar, with a combination of reading, note taking and discussion. Please, if you’re stuck on anything, talk to the others at your table about it!” She got more into it as she went on, a small smile appearing on her face.

“Gonta eager to learn gentlemanly talking!” Gonta beamed happily. “Also…Gonta can write, but hasn’t for long while…”

Tsumugi quickly snapped him up, walking over and gripping his arm to guide him to a table. “That’s the spirit, Gonta! Hm…let’s start with some hiragana…”

As those two went off, Kaito and Shuichi awkwardly approached the other two girls.

“So, uh…” Kaito scratched the back of his neck. “Do we just…pick a topic at random?”

“You should pick a topic that interests you.” Angie said, clapping her hands together in a prayer motion. “Whether that be furthering you own skills, or developing new ones…not to toot my own horn, but me and Atua have fingers in many pies.”

“F-fingers? Pies?” Kaito looked a little queasy.

“Ah, I think she means she has at least beginner knowledge in a wide variety of subjects, Kaito…” Shuichi explained sheepishly.

“Oh, I see. Well why didn’t you say so?” Kaito grumbled, glaring at Angie.

“Oh, you’re a silly one.” The anthropologist giggled, titling her head and upper body to the side playfully.

Kaito began to protest, but Kaede cut him off. “Well, why don’t we work in pairs? Hm, let’s see…” Her eyes darted between the trio. Of the three of them, Kaito was the one she had the least rapport with, so…”Kaito, you’re with me. Shuichi, you don’t mind being partnered with Angie, right?”

“Uhh, sure?” Shuichi looked a little uncomfortable, and Kaede wanted to mentally slap herself as she remembered how Shuichi was less than impressed with Angie on their initial meeting.

“Splendid!” Angie seemed to have no such qualms, however, as she tugged Shuichi over to a table. “You know, bugs are quite significant to many cultures! Take for example the scarab...”

Well…maybe this would bring them closer?

Kaito sat down in his chair across from Kaede, a faraway look in his eyes. “So uh...how are we gonna do this?” He muttered.

Kaede frowned. Kaito certainly wasn’t acting like his normal loud self. Even when he defended her at breakfast, it had been with less boisterousness than usual. “Well, due to my memory loss, I don’t know a lot of things, so I was thinking you can just pick something that interests you, and we can learn about it together.”

“Right...okay, uh...” Kaito shifted through the books awkwardly. “Um...oh, how about this?” He picked out a book, and Kaede’s eyebrow rose as she saw the cover.

It was the same book Angie had presented to Shuichi on the first day- “Physics? I would have guessed you’d pick a book on art history or something.” In truth, she’d just sort of thrown the copy of ‘ _Physics For Beginners Part 5: Light_ ’ into the pile when she remembered it was still taking up space in her backpack, and promptly forgotten about it.

“Hey, science is super important for artists!” Kaito protested, and Kaede’s heart warmed slightly as she saw him get a little more animated. “Art is...in a kinda weird spot as a discipline. There’s a lot of technical skill involved and the ‘correct’ way to do things, but it also needs creativity. Basically, you gotta learn the rules before you can break ‘em.”

“Break them in what way?” Kaede asked, tilting her head.

“Like..you know, anatomy and stuff. There’s one objectively ‘correct’ way to draw the human body, but an infinite number of stylised ways.” He opened the textbook, flipping through the pages in search of something. “But the stylised ways still need to build off the ‘normal’ way as a base...ah, here we go.”

Kaede craned her neck to see. “Colour theory?” On the page were diagrams of the different colours of light, and how they interacted with each other.

“Absolutely essential.” Kaito grinned. “Ya gotta know how colours combine and contrast, both with light but also with your materials. Like, paint colours don’t mix in the same way light does.” He tapped the diagram which showed intersecting red and green circles, with the crossover space being yellow. “See, red and green light make yellow light, yeah? But if you mix red and green paint, you’re more likely to get brown or grey instead, because of the chemical reaction.”

“Oh, I see.” Kaede nodded. “So you could accidently mess up the colours of your piece if you’re not careful.”

“You’re catching on quick.” Kaito chuckled. “But it doesn’t just apply to paintings. If you’re making a large experimental art display, you got to take the surroundings into account too- whether or not it contrasts with them, and what the lighting is like. A lot of really cool pieces use optical illusions, so lighting can be really important.”

“Illusions? Like what?”

“Well…okay, this one isn’t really an illusion, but…” Kaito scratched the back of his head. “Did you know that if you shine a coloured light onto a surface, you can make the surface itself appear to be a different colour? My…my grandad taught me that one.” The artist then fell quiet all a sudden, trailing off, and Kaede felt her smile dip slightly.

‘ _I was so caught up, I almost forgot…that Kaito is probably really worried about his hostage still_.’

“Is he…?” She asked as gently as she could.

Kaito swallowed, but nodded. “Y-yeah. Both him and my grandma…that bastard Monokuma had them on the video.” Suddenly, he slammed the textbook shut and banged his other fist on the table. “Dammit, what am I supposed to do? Why is this happening to us?” His teeth were grit in frustration.

Kaede didn’t hesitate, her hand darting across the table to gently rest on top of his. She said nothing, just waiting for him as he breathed heavily, furiously.

“We’re…we’re just kids. We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us.” Kaito said with trembling breath. “None of us have the right to cut any of the other’s life short. But are…are we supposed to just let a whole bunch of other people die instead? This…this is whole thing is…”

Kaede internally grimaced, but outwardly she smiled as comfortingly as she could. ‘ _Guess even a guy like Kaito can be pretty rattled by all this_ …’

“You can only do what you believe is right.” She said with a squeeze of his hand. “That’s all anyone can do.”

“Yeah…” Kaito exhaled slowly, trying to release his tension, then looked up at her with his trademark cocky smile. “I mean…I’m Kaito Momata! Painter of the Soul! No way I can die here.” He pulled his hand back from under hers and fumbled for more books. “Sorry to bring the mood down, Kaede. What were talking about? Oh, right-“ The two of them returned to discussing the crossovers of art and science as if nothing had happened.

And if their smiles didn’t quite reach their eyes…well, it would be impolite to comment on that.

* * *

 

Rantaro couldn’t help but wonder where Ryoma was getting all those candy cigarettes from. The short boy had chewed through a whole packet already after entering the room, where he now sat on Rantaro’s bed, his legs not even close to reaching the floor.

Keebo was there too, expressing his own nervous energy by seemingly trying to erode his chin with his gloved hand, deep in thought. Rantaro hadn’t felt very much like doing schoolwork in the wake of the motive, but Kaede’s suggestion to do something productive was one he felt was worth listening to. Regardless of his opinion of the person giving it.

And so, he’d invited the other two boys into his room to discuss options. Both Ryoma and Keebo seemed the best choice out of the boys not currently at the study group. Korekiyo was impossible to talk to without an interpreter, and Kokichi was…Kokichi.

And while he was sure many of the girls also had useful insights to offer, he was equally sure that Tenko would put his head on a pike if he asked a girl to come into his room.

“I’ve been thinking…” Keebo interrupted the tense silence. “Shuichi’s lab has a ladder in it, yes? For the terrarium shelves.”

“It does.” Ryoma confirmed.

“Could we not use that to bypass the locked gates to the higher floors? Since there is no sign of an exit on this floor, it must be on one of the higher levels.”

“That could work…assuming the Monodroids don’t catch us.” Rantaro said as he shook his head ruefully.

“Plus, we could manage to get all the way and find the exit, but what do we do if it’s locked when we get there? Or guarded by other security measures?” Ryoma added. “So long as we can’t see what’s on the other floors, we can’t plan for what happens when we go up there.”

“How aggravating…if I had more spare parts, I might be able to make a remote control drone with a camera, which we could use to scout things out.” Keebo suggested.

“Could you dismantle some of the electronics in the warehouse and use those?”

“I could, but it will probably take a while to find exactly what I need…” Keebo said carefully. “And I’ll need to be careful not to be noticed. And there’s also the matter of needing tools and a workspace in which to assemble it. Basically, it would definitely take longer than the time limit we have.”

“Seems there is just one hiccup after another.” Rantaro said with a sigh. “I hate to say it, but until we have more to work with…someone is going to snap.”

Ryoma fixed Rantaro with a piercing gaze, and the magician couldn’t help but notice how big and…empty his eyes were. “So…what exactly are you suggesting?”

Rantaro’s mouth felt dry, and his mind brought up images of his video. Of his many sisters, all crammed into that tiny cell. Crying out for someone, anyone to save them.

He’d been searching for them for years, and never found anything. Because the mastermind had them rounded up like pigs in a pen the whole time.

“…Death is inevitable.” He said with a clearer and more confident voice than he felt he deserved. “I know that Kaede is insisting she can stop it but that is nothing more than an illusion. So…if it’s inevitable, isn’t it better to do it in a more…controlled manner?”

Ryoma just kept staring, and Keebo shifted uncomfortably. “I…um…”

“What I’m proposing.” Rantaro crossed his arms. “Is that someone needs to commit suicide.”

Keebo nearly fell over. “R-rantaro, what are you saying? That’s-“

“Would it actually count, though?” Ryoma asked calmly, nonchalantly. “It’s not the same thing as murder.”

“We can check with Monokuma if it counts.” Rantaro said as he started pacing back and forth across his room, cloak swirling behind him. “But I have a gut feeling that it does. Isn’t it better that way? It means no hostages have to die, and no one here has to become a killer.”

“So who should do it? Me? Keebo here?” Ryoma asked pointedly, to which Keebo let out a squawk of shock.

“I wouldn’t be proposing this if I wasn’t willing to do it myself-“

“I, I’m sorry, I have to go…” Keebo stammered, getting up and rushing for the door. The two remaining boys watched him leave impassively.

“…He has a weaker stomach than I’d expect from a scientist.” Ryoma commented. “Do you think he’ll tell anyone?”

“Does it even matter if he does?” Rantaro countered.

“I suppose not.” The pianist agreed. “Still…I doubt the others will be too pleased with our little chat.”

Rantaro shrugged. “They can hate me all they want- I’m doing this for them.”

Ryoma ran a hand through his cropped hair. “Awfully attached, considering you only just met them.”

_That wasn’t the ‘them’ I was talking about._

Ryoma seemed to notice something in Rantaro’s expression, as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Well…it’s a very noble plan and all, but I have a counterargument.”

Rantaro blinked. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Ryoma finished eating his candy, and for once didn’t bother to refresh himself. “Let’s assume that a suicide _does_ count. That would satisfy the new motive, and save all the hostages. But it wouldn’t satisfy the _original_ motive.”

“The original- you mean, escaping this place?” Rantaro’s body felt heavy as he realised where Ryoma was going with this.

“Right. A killer gets to leave. But in the case of suicide…” Ryoma chuckled bitterly. “Think about it- a killer who has escaped this place would be able to bring in help from the outside. Either way one person dies, but one has more benefits than the other.”

“That’s...” Rantaro hated that he couldn’t refute that logic. “You’re assuming that Monokuma will keep his word on letting someone out.”

“I am. But we’re also assuming he’ll keep his word on not killing the hostages. We’re at his mercy, with no choice but to believe in his promises.”

Rantaro clenched his fists and looked down at the floor. “That’s…dammit. No one here should have to become a killer.”

Another dark chuckle from the boy on his bed. “Oh, Rantaro.”

He looked up, and he froze as he saw those empty eyes looking at him in that way again.

“What makes you think no one here isn’t a killer already?”

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update T_T


End file.
